Foundation for Individual Rights in Education or FIRE is a group which claims to "defend and sustain individual rights at America's increasingly repressive and partisan colleges and universities."[1][2] It is an advocate on such issues as "free speech" codes, religious liberty, due process for students, allocation of funding for student organizations, and defense against ideological indoctrination. The organization was founded in 1999 by a University of Pennsylvania professor, Alan Charles Kors. FIRE is a major proponent of the intellectual diversity movement which aims to dismantle the so-called liberal bias in higher academia.

It was formerly a member of the State Policy Network.

News and Controversy

Defense of Marquette Professor

FIRE advocated for and subsequently applauded a decision of the Wisconsin State Supreme Court siding with a Marquette professor, John McAdams who "criticized a graduate student by name on his personal blog over how she handled a classroom discussion that turned to gay marriage."[3] FIRE argued that "Marquette was wrong to fire John McAdams simply for criticizing a graduate student instructor who unilaterally decided that a matter of political interest was no longer up for debate by students."

Marquette University disagreed, stating that “A tenured professor put a graduate student’s name and contact information on the internet so that people could go after her...That’s not academic freedom, that’s cyberbullying."[3]

Association with “Right-Wing” "Free Speech Bills"

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) launched a "Free Speech on Campus" Campaign to oppose Free Speech Bills, which they say are an effort from conservative state lawmakers to "suppress dissent" on college campuses." Furthermore, AAUP argues that the bills are backed by the right-wing Goldwater Institute.[4]

According to Campus Reform, a project of the Leadership Institute, FIRE disagrees in part with AAUP and supports the Free Speech Bills.[5]

FIRE describes its advocacy on this issue as a "multi-year Stand Up For Free Speech Litigation Project, an expansive initiative to eliminate speech codes at public universities and colleges," which it argues invites "widespread abuse."[6]

Ties to the Bradley Foundation

The Bradley Files reveal that FIRE was founded with Bradley cash in 1999,

"With Bradley funding, FIRE was founded in 1999 by Bradley Prize winner Alan Charles Kors and Encounter author Harvey Silverglate to defend rights on campus to freedom of speech and association, legal equality, due process, and religious liberty. Its strategy is based on the insight that the mere threat of exposure or legal action is often sufficient to persuade universities to remedy rights violations. FIRE has successfully intervened in hundreds of disputes at nearly 200 institutions, mostly through negotiations but also through litigation when necessary."[7]

One "Bradley Prize" that Alan Charles Kors -- currently chairman emeritus of FIRE -- won was in 2008 for his "defense of free speech." It came with a $250,000 stipend.[8]

In 2014, FIRE received $15,000 for "sponsorship of the 15th Anniversary Gala." The Gala was "a dinner event celebrating (FIRE's) mission and drawing public attention to the intrusions upon conscience and enforcement of orthodoxies that are endemic in academia." [6] The

From 1999-2016, FIRE has received $1,490,000 from the Bradley Foundation for "general operations," "anniversary events," and "a special project."

Ties to the Koch Brothers

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education has deep ties to the Koch brothers. The organization has received funding from the Charles G. Koch Foundation, the Claude R. Lambe Foundation, Donors Capital Fund and DonorsTrust. (See below)

Ties to the State Policy Network

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is a former associate member of the State Policy Network, a web of state pressure groups that drive a right-wing agenda in statehouses nationwide.

Funding

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education does not disclose its donors, but some of its funding sources are known through other tax filings. FIRE's known funders include:

Core Financials

2016 [10]

Total Revenue: $6,359,697

Total Expenses: $3,658,143

Net Assets: $6,620,638

2015 [11]

Total Revenue: $6,359,697

Total Expenses: $5,658,143

Net Assets: $6,620,636

2014 [12]

Total Revenue: $7,401,750

Total Expenses: $4,188,282

Net Assets: $5,915,288

2013 [13]

Total Revenue: $3,119,177

Total Expenses: $3,318,604

Net Assets: $2,696,607

2012 [14]

Total Revenue: $1,807,197

Total Expenses: $1,179,350

Net Assets: $2,898,658

Personnel

Staff

As of July 2017:[15]

Greg Lukianoff, President and CEO

Robert Shibley, Executive Director

Peter Bonilla, Vice President of Programs

William Creeley, Senior Vice President of Legal and Public Advocacy

Alisha Glennon, Senior Vice President of Finance and Development

Samantha Harris, Vice President of Policy Research

Azhar Majeed, Vice President of Policy Reform

Ashley Adams, Annual Fund Manager

Laura Beltz, Program Officer, Policy Reform

Daniel Burnett, Communications Manager

Joe Cohn, Legislative and Policy Director

Ari Cohn, Director, Individual Rights Defense Program

Tyler Coward, Legislative Counsel

Peyton Cudaback, Director of Human Resources

Gordon Danning, History Research Fellow

Nikki Eastman, Lead Graphic and Interactive Designer

Jackie Farmer, Program Officer, Individual Rights Defense Program

Eli Feldman, Executive Assistant to the President

Bridget Glackin, Director of Development

Amy Gettlin, Development Associate

Theresa Glinski, Program Associate, Campus Outreach

Adam Goldstein, Justice Robert H. Jackson Legal Fellow

Zachary Greenberg, Justice Robert H. Jackson Legal Fellow

Susan Kruth, Senior Program Officer, Legal and Public Advocacy

Zoe Kuenstler, Development Officer

Brynne Madway, Associate Attorney, Stand Up for Speech Litigation Project

Michael Maggiore, Office Administrator

Chris Maltby, Production and Design Manager, Sweidy Stata Video Fellow

Sarah McLaughlin, Senior Program Officer, Individual Rights Defense Program and Social Media Manager

John Merigliano, Web Developer

Cynthia Meyersburg, Research Fellow in Psychology

Alex Morey, Editor-in-Chief, Newsdesk; Program Officer, Legal and Public Advocacy

Tim Murphy, Digital Outreach and Alumni Development Fellow

Kelsey Naughton, Data Analyst

Molly Nocheck, Director of Campus Outreach

Pamela Paresky, Chief Research Officer to the President and CEO

Nico Perrino, Director of Communications

Graham Peterson, Faculty Outreach Fellow

Aaron Reese, Video Editor and Production Associate

William Rickards, Communications Coordinator

Luke Ripp, Program Associate, Campus Outreach

Alec Schoenfeld, Archival Fellow

Bonnie Kerrigan Snyder, High School Outreach Fellow

Adam Steinbaugh, Senior Program Officer and Investigative Reporter

Marieke Tuthill Beck-Coon, Director of Litigation

Ryne Weiss, Assistant to the Executive Director

Mary Zoeller, Program Officer, Policy Reform

Former Staff

Thor Halvorssen, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer

Board of Directors

As of July 2018:[16]

Daniel Shuchman, Chairman

Harvey Silverglate, Co-founder

Barbara Bishop

Anthony Dick

Richard Losick

Joseph Maline

Marlene Mieske

Daphne Patai

Virginia Postrel [17]

Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz[18]

Former Board Members

Board of Advisors

As of July 2017, the status of the Board of Advisors is unknown.

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

510 Walnut St.

Suite 1250

Philadelphia, PA 19106

Phone: 215-717-3473

Fax: 215-717-3440

Website: https://www.thefire.org

Email: fire@thefire.org

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheFIREorg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefireorg

