Penn: Choose a president who will defend academic freedom

We write as members of the Penn community at a critical moment. The Board of Trustees is in the process of electing the University's next president, and we believe the community's voice must be heard.

Penn is an extraordinary institution. Its strength rests not only on its faculty, students, research, professional schools, alumni, and resources, but on the principles that allow a great university to flourish.

The search also comes at an extraordinary moment. The next President will decide if the university will stand up to unprecedented political pressure and protect the integrity of its scholarship, the safety of its students, and a culture of inclusive, productive exchange of ideas.

We believe the next president should be defined by five commitments:

Academic freedom must be at the foundation of Penn's mission.

The next president should protect the ability of faculty and students to pursue knowledge wherever it leads, including when research, questions, or conclusions are unpopular or politically inconvenient.

That commitment requires a president willing to defend academic freedom especially when doing so is difficult.

Penn should be a place where disagreement and discomfort are met with more speech, more inquiry, and better argument.

A strong university community requires freedom to respectfully disagree, willingness to listen, and confidence that difficult conversations can take place without fear.

Our next president must ensure that free expression is not an obstacle to community; it is one of the conditions that defines university community.

The past several years have underscored how important it is for universities to maintain their independence from political and other external pressures.

We believe President Larry Jameson deserves credit for demonstrating this principle in several consequential moments––declining to sign the federal government's proposed Compact for Academic Excellence and standing firm against federal demands for identifying information about members of Jewish organizations.

These actions demonstrate institutional courage: the willingness to protect Penn's mission and its people even when doing so means standing up to powerful external actors.

The next president must continue standing for Penn’s independence, and do so through strong coalitions with other universities – ideally as a leader in defending higher education from political control.

Shared governance should be a practice, not a slogan.

Faculty, students, staff, and other members of the Penn community possess expertise that no president or Board can replicate. Their participation should meaningfully inform decisions about Penn's academic mission and future.

Shared governance does not require consensus on every issue. It does require genuine consultation, respect for expertise, and an institutional culture in which people know that their voices matter.

Trust requires leaders who listen, communicate candidly, explain difficult decisions, acknowledge mistakes, and follow through on commitments.

Trust demands that Penn's principles do not change depending on who is applying pressure.

We hope the Consultative Committee and Board of Trustees will seek a president who will:

Penn does not need a president who simply manages an extraordinary institution; it needs a president who understands why the institution matters—and has the courage to protect the conditions that allow it to flourish.

We hope the Consultative Committee and Board of Trustees will embrace the principles outlined here. Rather than afterthoughts or aspirations, they should be central to the search criteria.

We invite members of the Penn community who share these principles to join us.

Sincerely,

The undersigned Penn community

--

Penn Quaker Courage is a coalition of Penn alumni, faculty, students, and supporters from different generations, disciplines, and viewpoints standing up for academic freedom and institutional independence.