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Pledge your support for academic freedom at home and abroad

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s “Commitment to Campus Free Expression at Home and Abroad” offers universities a guiding principle to embrace in its agreements and contracts with governments and nongovernmental organizations: Student and faculty free speech and academic freedom rights are of paramount importance.

While universities’ partnerships can provide benefits to students and faculty, they can also pose serious threats to the expressive rights of academic communities — especially partnerships with governments that severely restrict or punish speech. Now is the time for universities to reassess existing partnerships and plan ahead for future agreements.  

I would be proud to see my institution publicly endorse this statement and assure its academic community that academic freedom and freedom of expression will be primary considerations in foreign and domestic partnerships. By signing this petition, I am publicly indicating that I support this statement and ask that my institution adopt it as guiding policy.

Commitment to Campus Free Expression at Home and Abroad

[COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY NAME] recognizes that freedom of expression and academic freedom are vital to education and research. [NAME] also recognizes that partnerships with governments, non-governmental organizations, and other institutions offer benefits such as specialized research, training, resources, and opportunities — but may also pose threats to institutional autonomy and student and faculty rights.

To that end, [NAME] will guarantee that any existing or future agreements, grants, or contracts signed by [COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY] do not and will not threaten the academic freedom or expressive rights of any members of its academic community, and [NAME] will embrace transparency by making public the conditions of those grants or contracts. [NAME] will ensure that any students or faculty members planning to study or teach at satellite campuses or engage in scholarship abroad under a [COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY]-managed program are notified in writing of any restrictions on speech or academic freedom they should expect to face.

SIGNATORIES:

Donald Downs
Emeritus Professor
University of Wisconsin-Madison

David Ross
Professor of Mathematics
Rochester Institute of Technology

Tim Shiell
Professor and Director, Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation
University of Wisconsin-Stout

Geoffrey Stone
Edward H. Levi Distinguished Professor of Law
The University of Chicago

Nadine Strossen
Professor
New York Law School

Matthew Baddorf
Faculty
Walters State Community College

Allan Baker
Alumnus
University of Arizona

Greg Carmichael
Coordinator
University of Louisville

Ferrel Christensen
Professor Emeritus
University of Alberta

Thomas Edson
Professor (Emeritus)
Mt. San Antonio College

Matthew Fuzi
Student
George Washington University

David Golub
Alumnus
Yale University, Columbia University

Austin Hansen
Student
Portland Community College

Jane Johnson
Alumnus
Vassar College

Terry Newman
Teaching Assistant/MA Student Sociology
Concordia University Montreal

Robert Schaevitz
Alumnus
University of Pennsylvania

Harvey Silverglate
Alumnus
Princeton University

John Cassidy

Richard Grogan-Crane

James Heaton

John Archer
Professor
New York University

Hasala Ariyaratne
Student
Drexel University

John Barrena
Alumnus
Sonoma State University

James Cardwell
Alumnus
University of South Florida

Alan Cook
Alumnus
University of Michigan

Daniella Cressman
Student
New Mexico Highlands University

Steve Elshoff
Alumnus
Ohio Northern University

Eli Feldman
Alumnus
Yale University

Don Joe
Alumnus
Columbia University

Michael Kennedy
Director of Communications & Development
Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms

Kent Lawrence
Alumnus
Brandeis University

Rebecca Howard Madsen
Alumnus
Princeton University

Joel Margolis
Alumnus
Brandeis University

Lauren Minsky
Assistant Professor of History
New York University/ New York University Abu Dhabi

William Morgan
Research Associate
University of Miami

Stephen Padilla

Brett Pike
Student
University of California, Davis

Tyson Richmond
Alumnus
University of South Florida

Roger Russin
Alumnus
George Washington University

Michael Skol
Alumnus
Yale University

Matthew Sylvestre
Alumnus
Bryant University

Mike Toft
Staff
University of Minnesota

James Tosone
Alumnus
Stevens Institute of Technology

James Troy
Alumnus
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Lou Villadsen

Ryan Wasser
Graduate Student
West Chester University

Affiliations are for identification purposes only.