By Courtney Tanner | The Salt Lake Tribune | Photo by Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune

Utah’s commissioner of higher education has one request for the state’s colleges following the fatal shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk: Make your commitment to safeguarding free speech on campus even stronger.

Geoff Landward said Thursday that’s “the only appropriate response.”

“This kind of violence is intended to restrict open expression,” he said during a somber message. He asked schools not to let it.

The commissioner spoke during the Utah Board of Higher Education’s first public meeting since the Sept. 10 killing on Utah Valley University’s campus. Like other leaders, Landward cast the attack on Kirk as “senseless violence.”

A single shot was fired from a rooftop, striking Kirk while he was speaking in an open courtyard during one of his routine college visits. The suspected shooter, Tyler James Robinson, turned himself in and has since been charged with seven counts, including murder.

At Landward’s recommendation, the board also voted Thursday to create a task force that will evaluate campus safety across the state’s eight public colleges and universities. That group will include campus security professionals and experts in law enforcement.

Read more at SLTrib.com.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.