The University of Nebraska has issued the following statement, representing the position of NU President James B. Milliken and the chancellors of the University of Nebraska campuses, rejecting the call for a boycott of Israeli universities.
The American Studies Association has voted to boycott higher education institutions in Israel to protest the country’s treatment of Palestinians. Numerous U.S. universities and higher education organizations – including the Association of Public and Land-grant Institutions, the American Council on Education and the American Association of University Professors – have opposed the boycott.
The University of Nebraska’s statement is as follows:
“The leadership of the University of Nebraska rejects the call to boycott Israeli institutions of higher education. We support the unfettered pursuit of knowledge, the open exchange of ideas, and the robust engagement of faculty and students among institutions around the world.
“We believe the call to boycott Israeli higher education institutions is misguided, and if successful would hinder the open pursuit of knowledge and exchange of ideas and threaten the very institutions that stand for these principles.
“U.S. universities and scholarly associations have long encouraged and supported the very academic freedom universities in Israel offer. We urge our colleagues to adopt policies that encourage dialogue rather than those that threaten the institutions and communities that are founded on free and open inquiry and discourse.”
