Cornell University’s Board of Regents has been deeply divided over whether to establish a joint degree with Peking University sponsored by China’s Ministry of Education, and the opposition is concerned that the university’s academic freedom could be tainted by Chinese influence. A non-binding vote at the university’s Board of Regents meeting the day after tomorrow (17) would mean the university could still establish the joint degree over the objections of professors.
Professor Alex Susskind, associate dean of the school’s School of Hotel Administration, proposed a joint degree with Peking University at last month’s meeting, according to conservative media outlet Newsmax. He said doing so could bring the university up to $1 million (about $28.17 million) in revenue and expand Cornell’s visibility in China. But some professors were put off by the fact that Sascandy mentioned “profitable” four times in one minute and downplayed China’s human rights violations.
Opposition professors are concerned that China’s control and influence will creep onto campus and affect the university’s academic independence. One professor said, “When I was talking to my colleagues at Peking University, in addition to the dean, there was a Chinese political chief present. I was curious how we were going to maintain Cornell’s independence and freedom.”
However, when the university held another university council meeting late last month, professors who took opposing positions on the creation of the joint degree received a warning from the provost that “the role of the council is to set universal principles, not to kidnap an academic program with personal misgivings.”
According to U.S. federal public records, Cornell raised $27 million (about 760 million Taiwan dollars) from Chinese donors from 2014-2019. Cornell’s Board of Regents will also take a non-binding vote on the matter the day after tomorrow (17), meaning that the university can still insist on pursuing the matter even if professors disagree with it.
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