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 | Office of the President
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| December 30, 2013
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Members of the UVM Community:
As you may know, the American Studies Association voted recently to boycott Israeli academic institutions, and by implication Israeli academics. I am writing to articulate my views on this unfortunate decision.
I am joining the leaders of major research institutions across the nation, as well as the American Association of University Professors, in expressing opposition to this academic boycott. I believe that such boycotts endanger intellectual inquiry and discovery that are the very foundation of the higher education enterprise. Further, the ASA's position undermines our shared commitment to create and nurture environments conducive to learning, research, and the open exchange of ideas, regardless of the differing perspectives that may be voiced on complex geopolitical issues.
It is my hope that members of our UVM community and those of other institutions of learning will be able to continue to express and share freely their ideas and opinions. Academic boycotts and other actions that attempt to chill or foreclose such opportunities have no place in a global community of engaged scholars.
Tom Sullivan,
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