Derek Peterson delivering the commencement speech at the 2025-26 graduation ceremony at the University of Michigan. Photo credit: Derek Peterson. Coming to the end of the 2025-26 academic year, controversy around graduation ceremonies once again highlights the extent of the restrictions on faculty and student speech on US campuses amid an ongoing nationwide crisis of academic freedom. Recently, on May 2, 2026, University of Michigan President Domenico Grasso issued an apolo