The Wayne State Center for the Study of Citizenship will commemorate 9/11 with a lecture by Robert M. O'Neil, university professor and former president of the University of Virginia. He will speak on "September 11th and Academic Freedom: Where Are We Now?" on Sept. 10 at the Alumni House on the campus of Wayne State. The lecture is free and open to the public.

O'Neil is the founding director of the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, and he has also chaired the American Association of University Professors' Special Committee on Academic Freedom and National Security in Time of Crisis. That committee monitors and acts on threats to academic freedom since the September 11th terrorist attacks. O'Neil holds three degrees from Harvard and is the author of Free Speech in the College Community and The First Amendment and Civil Liability, among many books. He is one of this country's leading experts on academic freedom.

"The tragedy of September 11th , and the events of recent history at home and abroad, remind us that one of the most precious rights is the right to speak freely," said Marc Kruman, director of the Wayne State Center for the Study of Citizenship. "And as we study the rights and responsibilities of citizens, we are honored to have Robert O'Neil discuss the status of free expression in this time of crisis."

The Wayne State University Center for the Study of Citizenship promotes the study of citizenship by scholars and students through conferences, lectures, publications, seminars, fellowships, classes and a Website.

Wayne State University is a premier institution offering more than 350 academic programs through 12 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.