The following is a statement from AAU President Barbara R. Snyder regarding Harvard's decision to stand up for academic freedom, freedom of expression, and institutional autonomy:
Today I find myself deeply grateful to Harvard University, one of our founding members, for having the courage to live up to its values.
I’m sure this was not an easy decision, given both the magnitude of the actions already taken and threats of future actions against it by those in power in the executive branch if it did not capitulate to their demands.
The principles that Harvard is standing up for are the same principles that we stand by. As our AAU Board put it two weeks ago, “The free intellectual inquiry, exchange of ideas, and testing of evidence that help advance human knowledge in university settings are premised on the pillars of academic freedom, freedom of expression, and institutional autonomy.”
As I’ve stated previously, it is absolutely critical to root out antisemitism and other forms of discrimination. But that is not the issue here.
I could not have said it better than President Garber when he wrote yesterday that “No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
He is absolutely right that all of us have a stake in safeguarding the freedom of thought and inquiry.