John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies

The John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies provides programs to promote awareness and understanding of the First Amendment and to support quality journalism in the state through deepening the experiences of students and partnerships with the community.

The chair was instituted in 1986 to honor Mr. Seigenthaler, the longtime president, editor and publisher of The Tennessean in Nashville and the first chairman of the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University. Mr. Seigenthaler remained a leading nationwide spokesman for First Amendment freedoms until his death at age 86 on July 11, 2014.

The chair hosts an online, searchable encyclopedia with more than 1,500 essays and entries written by scholars covering court decisions and doctrines; people, laws and events; and issues and organizations. The encyclopedia also includes news and insight about current events.