JL;DR SUMMARY Daniel Diermeier, Chancellor of Vanderbilt University, discusses his commitment to fostering a campus culture rooted in inquiry and reason, amid growing disenchantment with higher education in the U.S. Diermeier emphasizes the importance of free speech, institutional neutrality, and reasoned debate to counteract perceived ideological drift in universities, particularly in light of political tensions and calls for universities to take a stand on controversial issues. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.