Cornell Tech (College), located in New York City, is part of Cornell University.
Cornell University professors voted overwhelmingly to reject a joint degree program between the university and Peking University. The program is funded by the Chinese Communist Party’s Ministry of Education. The professors urged Cornell to oppose the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights abuses and to focus more on the university’s ethical principles than on monetary gain.
Professor Bensel: Cornell Should Not Abandon Moral Responsibility
Cornell University’s faculty senate on Wednesday (March 31) rejected the resolution to cooperate with Peking University on the grounds that the Communist regime violates human rights and threatens academic freedom, the Washington Free Beacon reported. The non-binding resolution was defeated by a vote of 16 to 39, with 20 abstentions. The massive opposition to the resolution complicated the university’s plans to advance its cooperation with Peking University, which is funded by the Communist Party’s Ministry of Education.
According to the Free Beacon, the growing faculty opposition represents part of a community-wide rethinking of the relationship between elite American universities and the Chinese Communist Party’s interests. For decades, Cornell and other top U.S. universities have established numerous programs and partnerships in China, raising hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. But as the Chinese Communist government’s crackdown on the people grows worse, some professors worry that their institutions value lucrative relationships more than their moral principles.
But not all professors are keen on scaling back Cornell’s ties to China. Some faculty members have defended the Chinese Communist government. Connie Yuan, a professor of communication studies, refuses to acknowledge the genocidal designation of the Communist Party’s crackdown on the Uighurs, arguing that it is “quite misleading” and exaggerates reality.
But Professor Richard Bensel, who led the opposition to the partnership, said Cornell’s refusal to acknowledge the CCP’s human rights abuses, including the genocide of the Muslim Uighurs, was a “complete abdication of moral responsibility.
“The central administration (at Cornell) is much more revenue-oriented and materialistic than it was five years ago,” Bensel told the Free Beacon, “and it has basically just abandoned in many ways some of the moral and ethical concerns that a good university should have. “
On March 9, an independent report released by more than fifty global experts on human rights, war crimes and international law revealed that the Chinese Communist government’s actions in Xinjiang violated all articles of the UN Genocide Convention. One of the report’s co-authors said that the Chinese Communist Party leadership is “the architect of genocide.”
Cornell professors were not the only opponents of the Chinese-funded project. Student leaders at the university voted unanimously to cancel the partnership with BYU, a sign that faculty discontent is spreading to the student body. And across the United States, more than 100 academics and professors have signed a petition urging Western universities to fully disclose their ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Cornell professor is pushing for broader reforms to rein in universities’ overseas ties
Successful opposition to the partnership with BYU has given professors greater confidence that they are pushing for broader reforms. Both Bensel and English faculty member Joanie Mackowski have proposed new resolutions that would strengthen the role of the Faculty Senate in determining future partnerships with the Chinese Communist Party and all authoritarian states. Electronic voting on these resolutions will end April 7.
“What we don’t want to see are cosmetic changes to appease people.” McCosky said.
Cornell’s faculty senate will meet again in mid-April, and they will likely discuss additional legislation to rein in Cornell’s overseas relationships.
The Free Beacon previously reported that the backlash from Cornell professors against the partnership program with Peking University stems from a recent shift in the attitude of the U.S. academic community toward China (the Chinese Communist Party). Whereas a decade ago many believed that increased academic engagement with China would be beneficial because it might expose the next generation of Chinese elites to democratic ideals, today professors are questioning whether Cornell should have any ties to Beijing.
The report says this shift is the result of the American people’s growing awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s repression, which is not only taking place in Xinjiang, but also at China’s elite universities. Cornell professors say that Communist authorities routinely suppress academic freedom on Chinese campuses, including at Beijing University, where authorities kidnap students and subject them to inhumane interrogation techniques for speaking out about their views on labor issues in China.
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