New Texas college, UATX, encourages civil discourse and free speech | 60 Minutes [Video]

In a former Texas department store, the University of Austin, known as UATX, started classes this fall with a say-anything, shout-nothing philosophy. UATX’s motto is “the pursuit of truth.”

The school swaps DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — for what some call MEI: merit, excellence and intelligence. UATX, co-founded by historian Niall Ferguson, launched with a focus on encouraging free speech and open debate. 

“University forms the way you think about the world for the rest of your life,” Ferguson said. “If our universities are screwed up, and I believe they are, then that will screw up America as a whole quite quickly.”

Flaws UATX founders see at colleges around the U.S.

American universities have long been left-leaning and sites of protest, but the atmosphere has intensified in recent years. College students have shouted down unpopular speakers and canceled professors. The campus chaos of this past year, since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, even led to congressional hearingsabout on-campus …