Academic Freedom - a continued response

The National Postgraduate Committee of the UK was one of the first groups to come out against the Association of University Teachers (AUT) boycott of Israeli Academics. The NPC policy was not only to speak out publicly against the boycott, but also to take positive action to counter such a move. Next month the annual NPC conference, attended by student leaders from across the UK, will be addressed by Prof. Gerald Steinberg from Bar-Ilan University on the topic of academic freedom. While boycott may have been over turned, there is still a looming confrontation ahead. This time we will not be caught on the back foot.

As the peak organisation representing postgraduates (and therefore the future of UK academia) the NPC′s position (along with the National Union of Students) is a key factor in the academic landscape. The strong stand taken by NPC sent a clear message to those supporting the boycott. But that message isn′t over with yet. With more trouble expected in the coming academic year, NPC has included time in it′s busy conference schedule to discuss and explain opposition to the academic boycott with student leaders from across the country. Better yet, as a reaction against the boycott attempt, NPC sent an invitation to Bar-Ilan′s International Advisory Board for Academic Freedom who have sent Prof. Gerald Steinberg, a member of their board, to address the conference.

Jim Ewing, the General Secretary of the National Postgraduate Committee explained that "the AUT′s short-lived and ill-advised boycott of certain Israeli HEIs and the government’s constant attempts at a Religious Discrimination Act raise the whole theme of where the bounds of academic freedom lie regarding discussion and the right to express or even refer to strongly-held beliefs which may be unacceptable to society or downright criminal to put into practice." Mr Ewing (who recently completed a masters in Theology) will be joining Prof. Gerald Steinberg from Bar Ilan on a panel after the Professors address.

Prof. Gerald Steinberg,a Professor of Political Studies at Bar Ilan University, directs the Interdisciplinary Program on Conflict Management and Negotiation and is an expert regularly seen in the media including the BBC. He will be flying down from Israel specifically to address the NPC conference and answer questions from student leaders and postgraduate representatives.

More information is contained in the NPC Press releases: NPC Conference 11-14th August, Strathclyde University Union, Glasgow and Israeli Academic will address NPC conference to speak on academic freedom