Speech First Research Fellow

One-year remote fellowship opportunity

Compensation: $40-$50k dependent on experience Remote Position, 30-40 hours/week

The Research and Reports Fellow will play a key role in managing Speech First’s research and data collection process as we aim to release ground-breaking reports in 2025.

Colleges and universities across the country are weaponizing speech and harassment policies to censor viewpoints that don’t align with their radical agenda. The use of vague and overbroad language in student handbooks enables university administrators to pick and choose which speech qualifies as a violation of policy. Our research is exposing just how wide-spread these anti-free speech trends have become in higher education across the country.

Additionally, the establishment of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) departments in higher education are urging- and sometimes requiring- students to express public support for these divisive teachings. These attempts to coerce student speech and shut down opposing viewpoints violate the free speech rights of students. Speech First has already released two research reports touching on these issues, but more work must be done to uncover how far-reaching these anti-free speech policies have become.

Previous Speech First Reports include:

No Graduation without Indoctrination

Free Speech in the Crosshairs: Bias Reporting on College Campuses

Freshman Disorientation Report

Job Responsibilities include:

• Manage Research Projects:
  • Identify research gaps in the free speech-higher ed field.
  • Remotely manage a team of interns to conduct open-source research and collect data on campus policies, DEI requirements, freshman orientation, and other related free speech issues.
  • Identify common themes, problematic trends, and red flags within the data and produce advanced research reports based on information collected.
• Manage FOIA Campaigns:
  • Identify areas of interest for large-scale and small-scale records request campaigns.
  • Work with vendors remotely to collect and organize requests and responses.
  • Conduct analysis of all incoming data and identify trends useful for public reports.
  • Develop and write reports for public information campaigns based on collected information.
  • Work with development team to create content for fundraising proposals around campaigns.
• Manage Publication and promotion of all research reports and surveys:
  • Manage creative and digital content around the publication of the reports.
  • Work with PR/Comms to develop press releases and talking points.

To apply for this one-year fellowship opportunity, please submit your resume to Mary Ellen Beatty at info@speechfirst.org.