August 13, 2007
To the Williams Community,
On August 8th a full page ad appeared in the New York Times with the headline “Boycott Israeli Universities? Boycott Ours, Too!” It was signed by hundreds of U.S. college and university presidents but not by me.
Let me explain my thoughts on the matter.
First of all, what exactly is going on in Britain? In May, delegates to the annual conference of their University and College Union (UCU) submitted a motion to consider a boycott of Israeli institutions and academics. Their motion, having passed 158 to 99, moves forward for discussion and possible vote among the broader group of 120,000 UCU members.
This issue is an important one for academic freedom throughout the world and is of great concern to me personally. During the past few months, I have been to Britain several times and have met with a number of academic leaders there. While the consensus is that the UCU membership is unlikely to support any boycott resolution, I think it is appropriate for U.S. institutions to consider their responses should this happen.
A boycott could mean many different things and could have a wide range of effects. If Williams were to commit to being boycotted in the same manner as an Israeli institution, it might lead to suspension of our Williams-Exeter junior year abroad program, the end of financial support for our students in post-baccalaureate programs at Oxford and Cambridge, a promise that our faculty will not attend conferences in the United Kingdom or publish with British presses, and much more. No one knows since the terms of the boycott have not been defined. To commit the College to such uncertainty deserves consideration by the College community as a whole. I, for one, would support a very strong response by Williams if the boycott were to be put into place, but I would also bring our faculty, students and board of trustees into the discussion.
So why didn’t I sign the ad in the New York Times? There are three reasons — (1) without any community-wide discussion, I don’t think the President of Williams should make institutional commitments that might affect many members of our community in serious ways; (2) I think that such public pressure from the U.S. at this stage might very well backfire and actually strengthen the position of the UCU delegates who advocate a boycott; (3) the ad was paid for by the American Jewish Committee and I feel very strongly that it was inappropriate to involve a third party in expressing our outrage.
I will continue to be actively involved with this important matter and will inform you in case of any College actions.
Regards,
Morton Owen Schapiro
Professor and President
Williams College
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