Snow carpets the ground at the University of Chicago, and footfalls everywhere are soft, giving the place a hushed serenity. Serene, too, is Robert Zimmer, the university's 70-year-old president, as he talks about a speaking invitation that could turn his campus turbulent.

Steve Bannon is scheduled to talk at the school early next month - there's no confirmed date - and Mr. Zimmer is taking criticism for the imminent appearance of Donald Trump's former right-hand man, a paladin of alt-robust conservatives. Mr. Bannon is precisely the sort of figure who is anathema on American campuses, yet Mr. Zimmer is unfazed by the prospect of his visit, confident that it will pass with no great fuss.

"It's been quite interesting to watch this because, as you can imagine, there are many people who are opposed to Steve Bannon and wish that he hadn't been invited," Mr. Zimmer says. Nonetheless, "the students have been remarkable. The student government had a 'town hall' with the faculty member who invited Bannon." The students ran the event, "and they were very clear that there was to be no disruption, that they wanted to have a conversation."