Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and author, has been on the front lines of campus battles over free speech for more than a decade, warning that the American education system has poorly served a generation of young people by cocooning them from ideas they might find distressing.
Now, he finds himself in a free-speech squall at his own university.
Student government leaders at New York University are objecting to his selection as the graduation speaker at Yankee Stadium — calling it “deeply unsettling” — and in a letter, asked university officials to reconsider before the ceremony on Thursday.
It is not uncommon for some students to protest a graduation speaker, and N.Y.U. plans to move ahead with Dr. Haidt, according to a spokesman, Wiley Norvell, who described him as “one of the most consequential scholars of the 21st century.”
But for Dr. Haidt’s supporters, the symbolism is unmistakable. The controversy might even fit in one of his own books: A small group of students tries to cancel an outspoken critic of cancel culture, who says that American education has been woefully deficient when it comes to exposing young people to perspectives different from their own.
But for unhappy students, the choice reflects a dismissal of their values at a moment they should cherish.
When N.Y.U. made the announcement two weeks ago, a few students began poring over Dr. Haidt’s writing and speeches and then went public with their concerns. They took offense at some of his remarks, as well a class lecture from 2014.
In his books and public appearances, Dr. Haidt has been highly critical of the culture in which many young adults today were raised.
In his breakout book, “The Coddling of the American Mind,” he and his co-author, Greg Lukianoff, argued that schools cultivated a mentality of fragility, making personal safety paramount, while de-emphasizing problem-solving skills.
Students, they concluded, were insulated from encountering uncomfortable situations and upsetting ideas, leaving them ill-prepared to handle difficulty as adults.
Some N.Y.U. students who think Dr. Haidt is the wrong choice said their objective is not to silence him.
“I don’t think that students saying that the speaker doesn’t represent our values is the same thing as students being incapable of hearing opposing viewpoints,” said Grayson Stevenson, the outgoing sophomore class president at N.Y.U. “Those are two very different things.”
He and the student government leaders pointed to Dr. Haidt’s criticism of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. (Dr. Haidt said in 2022 that he would resign from a professional society because the organization asked presenters at its annual conference to disclose how their work advances the group’s equity and antiracism goals.)
In their letter, the students expressed shock that N.Y.U. could not find a speaker “whose scholarship and global contributions more accurately reflect the values and diversity of its graduates.” In past years, they noted, speakers included Taylor Swift, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and the lawyer David Boies.
“Many students have reported feelings of disappointment, disgust, unenthusiasm, defeat, and embarrassment,” the letter went on, expressing regret that their celebratory moment had instead “become another instance of being misunderstood.”
The student leaders did not respond to requests for comment. Dr. Haidt did not address the controversy, but through a spokeswoman, said he was “deeply humbled” by the invitation.
Pamela Paresky, a psychologist who helped research “Coddling,” said that Dr. Haidt went to considerable lengths to be fair in his critiques. During the editing of the book, she said they employed sensitivity readers at their own initiative, in part because they expected pushback. But it never really came, Dr. Paresky said.
“He’s always been very good about reflecting both sides and steel-manning the argument,” she added.
Dr. Haidt, a professor at N.Y.U.’s business school, has student defenders as well. Hannah Swartz, a graduating senior who studied psychology, said that he enthusiastically helped her start a group for those interested in bridging divides.
“It’s not that he’s blaming our generation for the way we are,” she said. “He’s trying to empower us with the skills to go out in the world.”
The pushback on campus comes after two and a half years of pitched battles over free speech, especially around pro-Palestinian protests. N.Y.U. has been especially forceful in confronting activism that it says violates standards of student conduct.
To some N.Y.U. seniors, the choice of Dr. Haidt felt like a final indignity. “A last parting gift of disrespect,” wrote Mehr Kotval, a senior and an editor for the student newspaper.
She noted that this year, the university has required that student graduation speeches be recorded ahead of time, in response to complaints last year about a student speaker who criticized Israel.
The same rules, however, do not apply to commencement speakers like Dr. Haidt.
Ms. Kotval noted in an interview that he had inspired a campus initiative to encourage students to put down their devices and engage in person.
“So it feels a little hypocritical for them to then say that we’re taking away live, in-person speeches,” she said, adding, “and we’re going to show them on a screen.”
Jeremy W. Peters is a Times reporter who covers debates over free expression and how they impact higher education and other vital American institutions.
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