Yale University’s long‑term research project culminated in a new volume documenting the university’s historical ties to slavery, part of a broader wave of campus reckonings with institutional history. The book, produced by the Yale and Slavery Research Project and authored by historian David Blight, maps financial and personal entanglements with slavery and will shape curriculum and donor conversations. At the same time, governance groups and boards are grappling with tensions between free‑speech protections and commitments to inclusive excellence. The Association of Governing Boards and other voices have advised trustees to protect academic freedom while navigating political pressure and outside scrutiny, underscoring the governance challenges universities face in this fraught moment. Clarification: 'Inclusive excellence' is a framework many institutions use to integrate diversity and equity into teaching, research and governance while protecting free‑expression norms.