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Despite community opposition and international ethics guidelines, Cornell University moves forward with new dual degree program in China
On the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, Cornell University that it had approved a controversial dual-degree program between its School of Hotel Administration and China鈥檚 Guanghua School of Management at Peking University. The decision was handed down despite extensive opposition from members of the campus community and during an already sensitive time for academic collaborations between the United States and China.
Professor Alex Susskind, the hotel school鈥檚 associate dean for academic affairs, first introduced a proposal for the dual-degree program at a meeting for Cornell鈥檚 Faculty Senate in February. It was not well received.
According to , faculty members offered an 鈥渋ntense rebuff鈥 to the proposal, based on concerns about the ethical challenges, human rights concerns, and threats to academic freedom that the program could involve. As Professor Neil Saccamano , he was uncertain how Cornell could protect its students and faculty when 鈥渢he people teaching next door can get hauled away by the Chinese government.鈥
Weeks later, on March 31, the Faculty Senate voted to reject a resolution on the Peking University proposal. The Daily Sun that 鈥16 members voted yes, 39 members voted no, 20 members abstained and 51 members did not vote.鈥 While the vote represented significant faculty opposition to the proposal, it was not binding on Cornell鈥檚 administration.
The Faculty Senate was not alone in speaking out. Cornell鈥檚 Student Assembly also a resolution 鈥淐alling Upon Cornell to Uphold its Ethical Guidelines for International Engagements.鈥 Citing systematic persecution of China鈥檚 Uyghur population and violations of student and faculty rights at Peking University specifically, the resolution expressed the Student Assembly鈥檚 concerns that Cornell could not uphold its policies in the new program. The resolution argued that 鈥渁ll students have a right and a responsibility to critically review and examine the ethics of the university鈥檚 financial gains and academic partnerships,鈥 concluding that 鈥渢he lack of enforcement of these guidelines leaves Cornell vulnerable to ethical breaches.鈥
Cornell鈥檚 Chinese FIREand Scholars Association, however, the proposal. In April, The Free Beacon that the CSSA was 鈥渃irculating a petition calling on Cornell to launch a controversial dual degree program bankrolled by the Chinese Ministry of Education鈥 and dismissed 鈥渁llegations of Chinese human-rights abuses as an attempt to 鈥榙eliberately discredit and attack China.鈥欌
鈥淲e sincerely hope that Cornell can carry out mutually beneficial cooperation with China,鈥 the CSSA wrote, 鈥渁nd avoid ideological conflicts, political disagreements and other factors affecting pure academic exchanges.鈥
On May 14, Cornell President Martha E. Pollack the Student Assembly鈥檚 resolution about the proposal, writing that 鈥淸a]ll agreements include explicit protections of academic freedoms and prohibit discrimination against our students, faculty, and staff鈥 and 鈥淸f]inancial considerations do not influence these criteria.鈥
鈥淪tudent Assembly input is valued and is an important part of the evaluation process,鈥 Pollack wrote. 鈥淲hile I do not support Resolution 39, I appreciate hearing your perspective, and thank you for sharing your concerns.鈥
Cornell will have to fight an uphill battle to prove to its community that their concerns about this new program were not warranted and that it will not abandon the guidelines set forth in 2019.
Cornell鈥檚 dual-degree proposal is notable for the widespread pushback it inspired from the campus community. But it鈥檚 noteworthy for another reason, too: In 2019, Cornell issued a set of for faculty involved in international partnerships, stressing the importance of academic freedom and offering university resources should expressive rights face pressure within the partnership. FIREpraised the release of the guidelines, which state that partnerships should be 鈥渃onsistent with Cornell University values, including our commitment to purposeful discovery; free and open inquiry and expression; diversity, inclusion, and non-discrimination; justice and human rights; and respect for the natural environment,鈥 and called on other universities to follow Cornell鈥檚 lead.
But does the new program with Peking University abide by these guidelines?
According to Cornell鈥檚 administration, it does. The university鈥檚 explicitly states that the ethics guidelines will be followed:
鈥淚 appreciate the careful discussion that this program has provoked. Cornell has a long history of working with academic partners around the world,鈥 [Provost Michael] Kotlikoff said. 鈥淭hese collaborations are vital to our mission of teaching, discovery and engagement, and we encourage responsible collaborations even in countries with which we might have fundamental disagreements.
鈥淭he knowledge-sharing and real-world solutions that these relationships produce benefit the citizens of our partner countries鈥 he said, 鈥渁nd in the long run contribute to the betterment of our shared global community.鈥
[. . .]
The program will follow Cornell鈥檚 , developed to help faculty members collaborate with research partners in areas of the world where certain forms of speech and expression may be prohibited or limited, while still protecting academic freedom.
鈥淥ur view is that the university鈥檚 role is to create bridges across what might be considerable cultural or political difference,鈥 said , vice provost for international affairs (VPIA). 鈥淭he production and dissemination of knowledge 鈥 in this case, with two of the world鈥檚 strongest and most active global players 鈥 is a good thing.鈥
Wolford said the administration appreciates the input it has received from faculty and students, some of whom are concerned about China鈥檚 poor human rights record. 鈥淲e understand that these are complicated times, and important questions,鈥 she said.
鈥淭he university doesn鈥檛 create dual degree programs lightly,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he vetting process has been very extensive. We care deeply about academic freedom and academic integrity, and building these relationships in ways that are very positive.鈥
Not everyone is convinced, however.
Eli Friedman, Associate Professor at Cornell鈥檚 School of Industrial and Labor Relations and one of the committee members responsible for writing the guidelines, that the approval was a 鈥渟hameful鈥 decision. 鈥淚gnoring overwhelming consensus from the Student Assembly and Faculty Senate, Cornell鈥檚 admin waited till after the semester ended to approve a cash cow dual degree program with PKU,鈥 Friedman wrote. 鈥淵et another indicator of how the big decisions in universities are driven by corporate and financial interests, democratically-constituted bodies have no role in governance. Corporate authoritarianism happens to be perfect for partnering with PKU.鈥
Cornell will have to fight an uphill battle to prove to its community that their concerns about this new program were not warranted and that it will not abandon the guidelines set forth in 2019. That will not be an easy task, given that the guidelines prioritize 鈥渇ree and open inquiry and expression鈥 and 鈥渏ustice and human rights,鈥 and China鈥檚 human rights violations and strict censorship regimes pose unique challenges to those values.
For example, will students or faculty be able to openly discuss against Uyghurs in China鈥檚 hotels or the lasting impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry? What specific measures will Cornell take to ensure that it protects freedom of expression and academic freedom while partnering with a university with a ? General commitments to academic freedom matter, but being able to openly address specific challenges matters even more.
If universities intend to move forward with new programs in countries with severe restrictions on speech and proven records of human rights violations, they should be prepared to explain how they will protect their values and their communities 鈥 especially when their students and faculty have already voiced strong opposition to the program.
In February, early in the program鈥檚 discussion among the campus, Kotlikoff the Faculty Senate鈥檚 complaints and 鈥渟trongly urge[d] the Senate to take a more general and broader view and not hold individual programs hostage to individual concerns.鈥 Now that the program has been approved, Cornell鈥檚 administration needs to explain how the concerns faculty singled out 鈥 like academic freedom and Peking University鈥檚 track record 鈥 won鈥檛 ultimately end up holding the university itself hostage.
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