Programs

Events

Ambassador Frank E. Baxter Annual Lecture

The Ambassador Frank E. Baxter Annual Lecture is BLI’s flagship event. Since 2012, the Ambassador Frank E. Baxter Lecture has engaged high-profile intellectual leaders whose expertise and scholarship focus on the ideal of freedom in political and economic life. Visiting scholars are invited to UC Berkeley for a visit that includes public lectures, dialogue with a respondent, and discussions with students centered on the theme of liberty. Established with the support of the Honorable Frank E. Baxter, the Ambassador Frank E. Baxter Lecture is organized by the Berkeley Liberty Initiative, a...

Programs

Difficult Conversations Initiative

The "Difficult Conversations" initiative began in spring 2025 as a model of respectful disagreement, offering students examples of engaging with challenging topics, and demonstrating effective techniques for navigating complex dialogues. The broader aim was to create a campus culture where difficult discussions are approached constructively, thoughtfully, and respectfully.

Open Exchange Grants Program

Fueled by our dedicated supporters, BLI launched a grant program to encourage faculty within the College of Letters & Science to adapt their courses to include themes of open exchange and constructive dialogue. The grant aims to expose UC Berkeley students to an open exchange of ideas and support their ability to engage constructively across differing viewpoints.

BLI is pleased to have awarded the Open Exchange Grant for courses in a range of L&S Departments, including Anthropology, Music, History, and Math. One grant recipient from...

Speaking Across Conflict workshop

November 3, 2025

Current Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students were invited to participate in the workshop: Speaking Across Conflict, part of the BLI Difficult Conversation Series.

The workshop offered communication skill-building for charged conversations and a forum for dialogue across disagreement. Participants exchanged views and personal experiences, surfaced differences and commonalities, and practiced communication skills for addressing differences directly and constructively.

BLI launches Open Exchange Grant for Spring 2026

November 10, 2025

The Berkeley Liberty Initiative invites proposals from UC Berkeley faculty for small grants up to $6,000 to adapt an undergraduate Letters & Science (L&S) course to be taught in the Spring 2026. The grant aims to expose UC Berkeley students to an open exchange of ideas and support their ability to engage constructively across differing viewpoints. More information may be found here. Applications are due December 5,...