After Charlie Kirk Assassination, New UVU President Vows to Defend Free Speech and Host Tough Debates

PROVO, Utah — One year after Charlie Kirk was assassinated in the central courtyard at Utah Valley University, the campus will shut down for the day, university leaders said, as UVU’s new president disclosed that his own daughters were nearby when the shooting happened and pledged to keep defending free speech in higher education.

Dr. Jon Anderson, who arrived at UVU shortly before the fall 2026 semester began, was still serving as president of Pennsylvania Western University when Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10, 2025. But Anderson’s ties to Utah run deep, he told News Outlet in a sit-down interview.

It was his wife who called to tell him what had happened, Anderson said.

“I had two daughters and a son-in-law, they were about 10 yards from the assassination when it happened,” he said. “And so I knew that our future would be tied to it in one way or the other.”

The healing process:

“When the opportunity came up to come home — this is the place that I’m from — and help this institution move forward and heal, it’s something I leaned into immediately,” Anderson told News Outlet. “I wanted to be here to help in any way that I could, and I have found since coming here, this place is so resilient. Its people are gritty, they’re ready to move forward, and they’re to learn from everything that we can learn from that day.”

As students, faculty and campus staff continue to process Charlie Kirk’s assassination in their own ways, Anderson said Utah Valley University will close on Sept. 10 to mark the first anniversary of the attack.

“I think one thing all of us at UVU have learned is that traumatic events, sometimes there’s an initial reaction and sometimes there is a delayed reaction, and it’s important for us to be very empathetic with each other as everyone goes through the healing process in their own way,” he added.

Although the school is not hosting an official event, he said Turning Point USA plans to hold its own memorial on campus.

“We want people to have their own space to heal in their own way,” he said. “TPUSA is using some space on campus to hold their event here, and we are supportive and reflective of that.”

Kirk was a founder of TPUSA and was speaking at an event sponsored by its UVU chapter at the heart of campus when he was killed. The group will hold its memorial at UVU’s UCCU Center at 6:30 p.m. MT on Sept. 10.

As for plans for a potential permanent memorial, Anderson said work is underway from a group including board members and students.

“They’re sorting through lots of voices, getting people to the table to talk through what that might look like, looking at other institutions, what they have done,” he said. “I can’t guarantee that it’s going to be anytime soon, but I can tell you if and when that happens, it will be thoughtfully done and well placed.”

On free speech:

While the public university is “politically neutral and apolitical,” Anderson said it’s important to provide a space to share varied viewpoints for the students’ benefit.

“We don’t jump in the fray, but we host the frays,” he said.

“We allow people to come in and focus on civil dialogue, engaging in new and good ideas, and that’s where we hope to excel,” he continued. “A place that anyone can come with any idea, have a place for open, honest, violence-free debate, and that’s what our future is, and that is what institutions of higher education are, when they are at their best.”

The latest on the suspect:

Kirk’s suspected assassin, 23-year-old Tyler Robinson, pleaded not guilty to all charges through his attorneys at his arraignment on Sept. 1 — nearly a year after his arrest.

He’s due back in court on Oct. 23, when Judge Tony Graf Jr. could set a trial date.

He could face the death penalty if convicted of the top charge of aggravated murder.

Kirk, 31, was married with two children.