As the new president of The University of Texas at Austin, I know that our great institution can live up to its highest ideals only by creating a space where open discourse, discovery and debate can flourish.I also know that during these challenging and divisive times, the notion of “free speech” has become somewhat controversial and politicized. This is a mistake. The freedom to speak and debate is not only outlined in the First Amendment of the Constitution — it is at the heart of the scientific method and all of the scholarship, creative work and research that defines a...