University of Wyo. cancels William Ayers speech

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – The University of Wyoming has canceled a

speech by former 1960s radical William Ayers after it raised a slew

of objections from citizens and politicians.

     Ayers was scheduled to speak next Monday on the Laramie campus

about social justice issues and education.

     He was invited by the UW Social Justice Research Center.

     In a statement released by the university, UW President Tom

Buchanan thanked the center for reconsidering its invitation to

Ayers. Buchanan says academic freedom is a core principle of higher

education, but he says the visit by Ayers would have adversely

affected the public’s confidence in the university.

     He noted that the Ayers invitation had caused intense

controversy.

     Ayers is an education professor at the University of

Illinois-Chicago.