- This event has passed.
A Conversation With Paul Fishman, Bill Treanor and Dr. Jonathan Koppell
On Tuesday, January 27 at 7:30pm, Temple Ner Tamid will host a timely and substantive panel discussion on law, free speech, and higher education, with particular attention to contemporary debates over the role of the federal government in determining what is taught at universities. The conversation will be hosted by Paul Fishman and will feature Bill Treanor and Dr. Jonathan Koppell.
Bill Treanor, a leading constitutional law scholar and longtime dean of both Fordham Law School and Georgetown University Law Center, brings deep expertise in university administration and the evolving relationship between universities and government in moments of political and cultural conflict. He recently found himself at the center of a national controversy after the Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia demanded that Georgetown Law “eliminate all DEI from your school and its curriculum,” bringing urgent attention to questions of governmental power, academic freedom, and institutional autonomy.
Dr. Jonathan Koppell, president of Montclair State University and a nationally recognized scholar of public administration and global governance, known for his emphasis on public service and community engagement. Since assuming the presidency in 2021, he has led record enrollment and retention, overseen the historic merger with Bloomfield College, and guided Montclair’s strategic reorganization to better serve today’s students at one of New Jersey’s largest public universities.
Paul Fishman, former United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey and a respected voice on civil rights and public law, will host the panel, drawing on his years of prosecutorial leadership and engagement with complex questions of institutional responsibility and the rule of law.
Together, the panelists will explore how colleges and universities can uphold robust debate while meeting their legal and moral obligations to protect students from discrimination and harassment—examining where the law draws boundaries, and where it leaves room for judgment, amid intensifying campus tensions.