Higher Education Institution

Oakland University

Dennis Muchmore Public Policy Series

In June 2023, Oakland University’s Center for Civic Engagement announced the launch of the Dennis Muchmore Public Policy Series. The series, named for the longtime GOP operative and OU trustee, is an annual event that features “a speaker or panel discussion focused on a critical issue facing the region, state or nation.”

Notable People

Greg Lukianoff

Guest speaker at the September 2026 Muchmore event

Lukianoff is the president of FIRE and a longtime critic of alleged leftist excesses on college campuses. He is also the co-author of the controversial 2018 book The Coddling of the American Mind (with Constructive Dialogue Institute co-founder Jonathan Haidt). Since October 2023, he has been highly critical of pro-Palestine campus activists. For example, in an April 2024 interview, Lukianoff claimed:

Since October 7th… we’ve also seen an awful lot of assault, we’ve seen a lot of shout-downs, we’ve seen a lot of vandalism…. And that has overwhelmingly come from pro-Palestinian students.

On September 30, 2026, the Muchmore Series will host Lukianoff—among other speakers—as part of a “Summit on Civil Discourse, Freedom of Speech and Political Violence on College Campuses.”

Rick Snyder

Guest speaker at the September 2023 Muchmore event

Snyder is a former governor of Michigan who championed a number of anti-union laws. For example, in April 2012, he signed a law that selectively made it harder for teachers' unions to collect dues. A federal appellate judge concluded that the law was intended to “mute [the unions’] voice.” Snyder was a speaker at the inaugural Muchmore event in September 2023, entitled “Breaking the Barrier: The Importance of Civility and Improving Political Discourse.”

Notable Funders

Robert ("Bobby") and Nancy Schostak

Amount not identified; funding relationship documented here

The Muchmore series was established in June 2023 through a gift from Bobby and Nancy Schostak. Bobby Schostak was chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 2011-2015, helping to move the GOP to the right under former Governor Rick Snyder. (Snyder was one of the speakers at the inaugural Muchmore event in September 2023, titled “Breaking the Barrier: The Importance of Civility and Improving Political Discourse”). Schostak played a lead role, along with billionaire Dick DeVos, in the passage of Michigan’s “right to work” legislation in 2012. He currently serves on the board of the staunchly conservative Jewish Republican Coalition and the Schostaks are major donors to pro-Israel advocacy groups such as American Israel Education Foundation (an affiliate of AIPAC) and the Lawfare Project (described by the National Lawyers Guild as a “right-wing anti-Palestinian group”; not to be confused with Lawfare, the nonprofit online publication focused on national security issues). For reference, see Schostak Family Support Foundation tax filings for 2025, 2024, and 2023.

Embedding and Bolstering Civil Discourse

According to Oakland University’s “Embedding and Bolstering Civil Discourse” webpage (which also includes the Muchmore Series described above), the university will welcome journalists Nolan Finley and Stephen Henderson as visiting professors for two academic years, beginning in fall 2026; they will teach a course and host events on civil discourse. Finley and Henderson are co-founders of The Civility Project, whose stated goal is to “Build healthy disagreement and constructive dialogue while teaching people how to build civility in their relationships.” Finley and Henderson are also co-authors of The Civility Book: A Guide to Building Bridges Across the Political Divide (2025). On its website, The Civility Project advertises paid workshops with Finley and Henderson. The site features a “Resources” page that is largely focused on civility at work; it includes links to articles by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and other workplace-focused groups and authors.

Notable People

Nolan Finley

Visiting professor (AY 2026-28)

A self-described “Never-Trump conservative” who has written numerous op-eds that describe pro-Palestine campus activists as “antisemitic.” For example, in May 2024, he published an opinion piece for a local Shaw Media affiliate, arguing that “[T]he biggest danger to the well-being of many Americans comes from the far-left intelligentsia on the country’s supposedly elite and enlightened college campuses. Students and professors who pledge solidarity with the anti-Israel college protesters spewing vile antisemitism are nurturing the roots of what could grow into a broad and extreme hate movement.” Similarly, in May 2026, he wrote an op-ed for The Detroit News headlined: “Hostility toward Jews at UM[ichigan] starts with faculty.”

Partnerships

College Presidents for Civic Preparedness

Oakland president Ora Pescovitz is a member of this coalition. Refer to the "College Presidents for Civic Preparedness" entry for details about the organization's leadership and funders.