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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Best,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#F1AB00">__________________________</span></b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#4F81BD">Cherysa Cortez
</span><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#7A6E67">CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this communication in error and that any review, disclosure, dissemination,
distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the Academic Senate Office immediately </span><span style="font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black"><a href="https://post.ucr.edu/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=IcX4ZK3lIEYWOXDpDmM3Vb7zrs4KkFK1mfplzYdNhPoqD7zfiJzSCG0AYQBpAGwAdABvADoAYwBjAG8AcgB0AGUAegBAAGUAbgBnAHIALgB1AGMAcgAuAGUAZAB1AA..&URL=mailto%3accortez%40engr.ucr.edu" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;color:blue">cherysa.cortez<at>ucr.edu</span></a></span><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#7A6E67"> and
permanently delete all copies of this communication and any attachments.</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Michael LaBriola <Michael.LaBriola@ucop.edu>
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, April 7, 2025 12:23 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> President <President@ucop.edu><br>
<b>Cc:</b> provost@ucop.edu; Marisa McAuliffe <Marisa.McAuliffe@ucop.edu>; Jenny Kao <Jenny.Kao@ucop.edu>; UCACOUN-L@LISTSERV.UCOP.EDU; Mona Hsieh <Mona.Hsieh@ucop.edu>; Sean P Gailmard <gailmard@berkeley.edu>; adestefano@senate.ucla.edu; Cherysa P Cortez <cherysa.cortez@ucr.edu>;
emarevalo@ucdavis.edu; fpaul@ucmerced.edu; jisoo.kim@uci.edu; jocelynbanaria@berkeley.edu; lhullings@ucsd.edu; mmednick@ucsc.edu; shasta.delp@senate.ucsb.edu; todd.giedt@ucsf.edu; Brenda Abrams <Brenda.Abrams@ucop.edu>; Fredye Harms <Fredye.Harms@ucop.edu>;
Joanne Miller <Joanne.Miller@ucop.edu>; Kenneth Feer <Kenneth.Feer@ucop.edu>; Stefani Leto <Stefani.Leto@ucop.edu><br>
<b>Subject:</b> (Academic Council) Statement on Politicization of Research<br>
<b>Importance:</b> High<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase">Michael V. Drake, M.D.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase">President, University of California<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">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
<a href="https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/reports-recommendations/index.html">
Reports & Recommendations</a> webpage.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxmsonormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Thanks very much,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">_______________</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Michael LaBriola<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Assistant Director<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Systemwide Academic Senate<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="mailto:michael.labriola@ucop.edu">michael.labriola@ucop.edu</a> | 510.987-0162<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/">senate.universityofcalifornia.edu</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:6.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="xxmsonormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">April 7, 2025<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">Michael V. Drake, M.D.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">President, University of California<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">Re:
<a name="OLE_LINK4">Statement on Politicization of Research<o:p></o:p></a></span></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK4"></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">Dear President Drake,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">We appreciate your leadership and partnership in defending academic freedom at UC, and we look forward to working with you to uphold these
principles.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:ideograph-other"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><img border="0" width="100" height="68" style="width:1.0416in;height:.7083in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01DBA7B7.276277E0" alt="A close-up of a signature
Description automatically generated"></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">Steven W. Cheung<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">Chair, Academic Council<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:6.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">Encl.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:6.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">cc: Provost Newman<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> Academic Council<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> UCAF<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> Senate Division Executive Directors
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> Senate Executive Director Lin<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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