Pitzer College President Prof. Melvin L. Oliver reinforced his opposition to boycotting Israeli academia and his unwavering commitment to upholding the values of academic freedom at University of Haifa’s 47th Annual Board of Governors Meeting Tuesday, May 28, 2019.

Speaking in Israel for the first time since vetoing the vote by a Pitzer governance body to suspend the college’s study abroad exchange with University of Haifa, President Oliver stated: “Academic boycotts of any nation set us on a path of breaking the free exchange of ideas. To boycott a country on the basis of their policies is by definition a blanket indictment of the nation itself, and by extension its citizens. This is whether we are talking about Israel and its immigration policies or the United States and its Muslim ban.

“I am here today to say thank you to the University of Haifa and President Robin for standing with us in the defense of the educational mission of both our institutions. It is a credit to your institution that in this debate no-one can point to any policies or actions by the University of Haifa that would even be remotely linked to a rationale of suspending our program. With your diverse student body, you are really a model institution for us to partner with and I hope we can continue for years to come.”

On March 14, the Pitzer College Council voted to suspend the Semester at the University of Haifa program, affirming the result of last November’s vote by the Pitzer faculty. However, on the same day, President Oliver swiftly announced that he would veto the Council’s recommendation because ending the study abroad program “puts in place a form of academic boycott of Israel and, in the process, sets us on a path away from the free exchange of ideas, a direction which ultimately destroys the academy’s ability to fulfill our educational mission.” Oliver also strongly opposed the faculty’s initial vote last November.

“With Lara Alqasem’s arrest and detention, and Prof. Segal’s painting of the oppressive life for Palestinians of the occupied territories in Israel, the faculty were primed to vote positively and promptly … My opposition to the motion was couched in the defense of the educational mission of the college. As President, I discovered early on that the more I addressed the details of any BDS-inspired argument, the more I became just another political combatant in what appears to be a never-ending content of assertion and counter assertion. This is the essence of polarized thinking today.”

After President Oliver’s address, University of Haifa President Prof. Ron Robin thanked him personally for his support and presented him with a “Hamsa Hand,” an ancient Middle Eastern amulet bringing its owner happiness, luck, health, and good fortune.

“University of Haifa is continuously grateful to President Oliver for his principled defiance of the BDS-motivated call to suspend study abroad ties with our institution,” said President Robin. “By defending academic freedom and standing against discrimination in this manner, he not only puts his own values into action, but also strongly embodies the values of our University. This is what inspired leadership looks like, in academia or in any setting.”

Photo caption: Pitzer College President Melvin Oliver (right) and University of Haifa President Ron Robin at Haifa’s 47th Board of Governors meeting

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem/Photo Credit: University of Haifa)