[Senate] FW: (Academic Council) Statement on Politicization of Research

[Cherysa P Cortez]

On behalf of UCR Academic Senate Chair Ken Barish, I forward Academic Council Chair Steve Cheung's letter transmitting the Academic Council's endorsement of a University Committee on Academic Freedom statement on the politicization of research.
Best,
__________________________
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From: Michael LaBriola <Michael.LaBriola at ucop.edu>
Sent: Monday, April 7, 2025 12:23 PM
To: President <President at ucop.edu>
Cc: provost at ucop.edu; Marisa McAuliffe <Marisa.McAuliffe at ucop.edu>; Jenny Kao <Jenny.Kao at ucop.edu>; UCACOUN-L at LISTSERV.UCOP.EDU; Mona Hsieh <Mona.Hsieh at ucop.edu>; Sean P Gailmard <gailmard at berkeley.edu>; adestefano at senate.ucla.edu; Cherysa P Cortez <cherysa.cortez at ucr.edu>; emarevalo at ucdavis.edu; fpaul at ucmerced.edu; jisoo.kim at uci.edu; jocelynbanaria at berkeley.edu; lhullings at ucsd.edu; mmednick at ucsc.edu; shasta.delp at senate.ucsb.edu; todd.giedt at ucsf.edu; Brenda Abrams <Brenda.Abrams at ucop.edu>; Fredye Harms <Fredye.Harms at ucop.edu>; Joanne Miller <Joanne.Miller at ucop.edu>; Kenneth Feer <Kenneth.Feer at ucop.edu>; Stefani Leto <Stefani.Leto at ucop.edu>
Subject: (Academic Council) Statement on Politicization of Research
Importance: High

Michael V. Drake, M.D.
President, University of California

On behalf of Academic Council Chair Cheung, I enclose his letter transmitting the Academic Council's endorsement of a University Committee on Academic Freedom statement on the politicization of research. The text of his letter is pasted below and in the attached PDF with the UCAF statement. It will be posted on the Senate's Reports & Recommendations<https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/reports-recommendations/index.html> webpage.


Thanks very much,

_______________
Michael LaBriola
Assistant Director
Systemwide Academic Senate
michael.labriola at ucop.edu<mailto:michael.labriola at ucop.edu> | 510.987-0162
senate.universityofcalifornia.edu<https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/>

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April 7, 2025

Michael V. Drake, M.D.
President, University of California

Re: Statement on Politicization of Research

Dear President Drake,

On behalf of the Academic Council, I write to convey Council's endorsement of the attached University Committee on Academic Freedom (UCAF) statement on the politicization of research and research funding. Given the increasing threats to academic freedom posed by political intervention in university governance and research funding, Council urges UC leadership to affirm the principles articulated in the statement and to take proactive steps to safeguard the scholarly autonomy of UC faculty.

Recent federal actions, including the cancellation of research grants issued to UC faculty due to their scholarship content and directives to impose oversight on academic departments, signal a troubling escalation. The authority of faculty to determine curricula, admissions criteria, and scholarly standards is a foundational principle of the University of California. If these freedoms are eroded by political influence, UC's ability to pursue and disseminate knowledge will be fundamentally compromised.

Council also supports UCAF's recommendation that the University work to mitigate the impact of these interventions on affected faculty by exploring temporary adjustments to the merit review process to ensure that scholars are not penalized for the politicization of their academic work.

We appreciate your leadership and partnership in defending academic freedom at UC, and we look forward to working with you to uphold these principles.

Sincerely,
[A close-up of a signature  Description automatically generated]
Steven W. Cheung
Chair, Academic Council

Encl.

cc:                               Provost Newman
                                     Academic Council
                                     UCAF
                                     Senate Division Executive Directors
                                     Senate Executive Director Lin

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