College of Charleston President Glenn McConnell issued the following statement on academic boycotts:
There has been much recent discussion by academic societies regarding the State of Israel and its policies. A few of those societies, including most recently the American Anthropological Association, have endorsed “academic boycotts” of Israeli universities.
Universities work best when they facilitate the unfettered exchange of ideas about controversial topics. It is my belief that academic boycotts are counter to academic life and to the idea of the university. I stand with the Association of American Universities and the American Association of University Professors in opposing academic boycotts.
I hope the American Anthropological Association will end this boycott at the earliest opportunity, and I urge other academic societies to reject calls for boycotts. Simply put, there are other, better ways to criticize the policies of specific nation-states, without resorting to boycotts that are hurtful to the free exchange of ideas and are incompatible with academic freedom.
