In this episode, I speak with Professor Thomas Bryer about the political tensions reshaping higher education and the public square. Drawing on his fieldwork with the National Park Service and years of public scholarship, Tom reflects on what it means to bring people together in a time of deep division. From “greasy pizza” and Gulf Coast dialogue to the symbolic messages worn by park visitors, he offers real-world insights into what civic engagement looks like under pressure.
We also dig into the high personal cost of self-censorship, the erosion of trust in public institutions, and how the use of funding as a political tool is changing the role of universities. If you've ever wondered how scholars, citizens, and public servants navigate an era of fear, polarization, and contested spaces—this episode will both ground and challenge you.
Thomas Bryer is a Pegasus Professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Central Florida. He is also professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities at Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania and visiting professor in the Institute for Social Responsibility at Edge Hill University in the United Kingdom. He served as a Fulbright scholar in Lithuania from 2015-2017 and a Fulbright specialist in Russia in 2018.
Here is Tom’s conversation with me about his National Park Service project.
Timestamps
00:00:51“In Florida, we have been at the forefront nationally…” (discussion of higher education and political conditions in Florida)
00:04:17“Exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect” (framework to describe faculty and public response to political and institutional pressure)
00:06:33“Self-censorship leads to self-doubt” (psychological consequence of academic and institutional pressure)
00:07:53“Funding is being used as a harsh stick… a governance tool that creates a precedent” (discussion on punitive funding withdrawal)
00:10:25“We bring people together at the Gulf Islands National Seashore” (community engagement via National Park dialogue projects)
00:11:52“Greasy pizza” (symbolic moment from a civic dialogue event, highlighting accessibility and connection)
00:13:28“Visitors at National Parks on historic lands” (highlighting civic dialogue on sacred spaces)
00:14:02“Visitors wearing opposed ideological messaging… Gulf of Mexico vs. Gulf of America” (symbolic tensions observed in shared public space)
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