Purdue News
Purdue News
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November 2000 Purdue to assist persecuted scholarsWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University has joined a new national network of academic institutions and human rights organizations committed to protecting scholars and scholarship around the world. Universities and research organizations belonging to the Scholars at Risk Network pledge to provided temporary academic and research jobs for scholars outside the United States whose work is threatened by mass or individual displacement, discrimination, harassment, intimidation or violence. Dean of International Programs Michael Stohl represented Purdue at the University of Chicago conference where the network was formally organized this summer. "Academic freedom is under attack in many parts of the world today," Stohl said. "The Scholars at Risk Network will not only give persecuted scholars the security and opportunity to resume their work, but also will enrich the host institutions by providing new learning opportunities for faculty and students." Of the 40 universities that participated in the launch of the network, Purdue is one of just eight institutions that have made the commitment to serve as host for an imperiled scholar and his or her family during the next two academic years. The others are Albion College in Albion, Mich.; Chicago-Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology; Illinois Wesleyan University; the University of Chicago; the University of Iowa; the University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana; and the University of Michigan. Inspired by the efforts of many U.S. and European educational institutions in the 1930s and during World War II, the human rights arm of the Scholars at Risk Network will gather information on persecuted scholars from around the world. That information will then be shared with the participating universities, colleges and research centers that have agreed to serve as potential hosts. The ideal situation will be to match scholars with the needs of a particular institution. In the short time since the network was formally organized in June, 50 cases of scholars in need have been forwarded to its headquarters at the University of Chicago. "Academic freedom is the heart and soul of the Academy as well as one of the basic building blocks for democratic societies," said Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Robert L. Ringel. "Purdue takes its responsibility to not only preserve but foster this freedom very seriously, and our commitment to the Scholars at Risk Network is an example of that." An imperiled scholar placed at Purdue through the network will be classified as a visiting professor or researcher with appropriate duties and compensation. The appointments will be temporary, and during the course of their stay in West Lafayette, the network will assist the scholars in finding more permanent positions in the United States or returning them to their homelands as political conditions change and the danger to them passes. International scholarship is not new to Purdue. An average of nearly 700 international faculty and researchers from 50 countries spend time working on the West Lafayette campus during the course of an academic year. In 1999, Purdue ranked fifth in the nation in international undergraduate student enrollment, and first among public colleges and the Big Ten. This fall, international students make up 12 percent of the student body. Stohl said he thinks the Scholars at Risk Network is a natural step for the university to take. "This is a very meaningful, concrete way to assist endangered colleagues and promote the ideals of freedom of scholarship so central to the life of the university," Stohl said. "It's also an opportunity to enrich the educational and cultural environment at Purdue." Sources: Michael Stohl, (765) 494-9399; mstohl@purdue.edu Robert L. Ringel, (765) 494-9709, aaschumpp@evpaa.purdue.edu Writer: Sharon A. Bowker, (765) 494-9723; sbowker@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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