The University of Missouri's Open Minds Initiative, in partnership with Mizzou's Heterodox Academy Campus Community, will welcome political philosopher and higher education leader John Tomasi for a public lecture at 4 p.m. Sept. 23 in Wrench Auditorium.

A reception will follow the program, providing attendees an opportunity to meet Tomasi and members of the Heterodox Academy team and learn more about the organization's work nationally and at Mizzou.

Tomasi serves as the inaugural president of Heterodox Academy, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing open inquiry, viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement in higher education. Co-founded by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, the organization works with colleges and universities across the country to promote a campus culture where different perspectives can be explored through civil and evidence-based dialogue.

Drawing on more than three decades of experience as a scholar, educator and academic leader, Tomasi will discuss why encountering competing viewpoints is essential to learning and intellectual growth. He will examine how universities can create environments where students and faculty engage constructively with ideas that challenge their own assumptions.

The Open Minds Initiative sponsors courses, events, and scholarship dedicated to fostering a vibrant academic environment where the free exchange of ideas, intellectual pluralism, and civil discourse are celebrated as essential pillars of education. This commitment aims to strengthen the purpose and promise of higher education, bridge ideological differences, reduce political polarization, and strengthen democratic values on campus and beyond.