10/17/2008

The following statement was issued by University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken following UNL's cancellation of William Ayers' appearance on campus in November.

"I understand why many Nebraskans were upset by the proposed Ayers lecture. But notwithstanding many calls for the Board of Regents or the president to cancel it, I believe strongly that such an action would have been inappropriate.

"While the immediate controversy over Ayers' scheduled appearance may be over, the importance of recognizing that a university is a place for the open exchange of ideas, free of outside political or popular pressure, remains."