A University of Michigan faculty leader has publicly rejected the notion that Charlie Kirk supported academic freedom. In a recent message to colleagues, he accused Kirk of targeting professors who hold views outside his conservative agenda—claiming Kirk’s efforts threatened free inquiry.
Professor Derek Peterson, chair of the UMich faculty senate, wrote that Kirk “was no friend of academic freedom.” He pointed to Kirk’s Professor Watchlist project as evidence: the list flags about 20 Michigan faculty members under the charge they promote “anti‑American values.”
Peterson acknowledged that his email aimed to promote “peace and civility,” not condemn Kirk’s character, but insisted that reasonable observers can disagree about his politics even while criticizing his methods.
The Professor Watchlist is a nonprofit initiative under Turning Point USA that publicizes faculty allegedly discriminating against conservatives or pushing leftist ideologies. Peterson argued Kirk’s list operates more as a partisan “hitlist” than a defense of free thought.
After Kirk’s death, tensions flared when some university-affiliated people reportedly mocked or celebrated his assassination. Those incidents drew institutional responses including firings and account reviews.
