For the past couple of years, Dr. Michael Phillips has emerged as one of North Texas' foremost free speech advocates. The former Collin College history professor is one of several educators who say they were fired for speaking out about alleged rights violations at the school. Since then, Phillips has worked with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a First Amendment watchdog, to stress the importance of academic freedom. He's also a lauded author who's researching the history of eugenics in Texas.