‘EXTREMELY WORRIED’: Vanderbilt chancellor warns against ‘politicization of scholarly associations’ following AAUP's endorsing academic boycotts

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee recently warned against the “[p]oliticization of scholarly associations” following the American Association of University Professors’s (AAUP) decision in August to withdraw its opposition to academic boycotts. 

“When faculty members choose to support academic boycotts, they can legitimately seek to protect and advance the academic freedom and fundamental rights of colleagues and students who are living and working under circumstances that violate that freedom and one or more of those rights,” the AAUP wrote in August. 

[RELATED: Academic boycotts threaten academic freedom: WATCH]

Diermeier spoke out against the “[p]oliticization of scholarly associations” at an Oct. 22 event titled “Leading a University in a Time of Turmoil “ that was hosted by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. 

“We have to be extremely worried that standards of scholarly excellence are being undermined by political position-taking.”

Vanderbilt’s Daniel Diermeier calls the AAUP’s endorsement of academic boycotts “disastrous” and criticizes the politicization of scholarly associations: pic.twitter.com/Nk03Pd1Hds

— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) October 28, 2024

The Vanderbilt chancellor specifically condemned the AAUP’s “disastrous decision” to support “the use of academic boycotts, meaning that certain people will be disinvited from conferences or participating in scholarly endeavors” because of “political” motivations.

He called this development “very troubling,” and added: “But it’s not the only problem that we have. . . we have a variety of professional associations . . . that routinely take positions on political issues totally unrelated to their mission or their purpose.” 

He said this is a problem because such groups “bestow honors and recognition on faculty.” If such awards are subjected to “a political litmus test,” however, this will “undermine the scholarly standards in their discipline. . . . many of these associations also publish journals . . . we have to be extremely worried that standards of scholarly excellence are being undermined by political position-taking.” 

[RELATED: AAUP releases statement defending DEI in higher education]

Campus Reform Higher Education Fellow Ken Tashjy spoke about the AAUP’s reversal of its previous opposition to academic boycotts, saying: “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they changed their view on academic boycotts soon after the terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas and Israel’s military response post-October 7th.”

He added: “They’ve also now shifted in alignment with the students protesters and the protests we saw rage across our college campuses last spring, where we saw destruction of property, interference in the educational environment in the process, and real disruption.”

A Vanderbilt spokesperson told Campus Reform that the school doesn’t “have anything additional to share beyond the chancellor’s remarks themselves.”

Campus Reform has reached out to the American Association of University Professors for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.