One More Major University Speaks Up For Science Community
At the urging of UMD Association of Chinese American Professors and Scholars and UCA members in Maryland, President Wallace Loh of University of Maryland at College Park has just issued a strong statement on American universities’ historic mission and the need to keep research and science, including international scholars and students associated with it, as a free, open and inclusive enterprise. The university further expressed its concern for the greater suspicion and scrutiny over Chinese American faculty members, while demanding greater compliance efforts by all stake holders on the campus.
May 30, 2019
Dear University of Maryland community,
Our campus and peer institutions are feeling the effects of growing tensions between the U.S. and China. Chinese, and Chinese-American faculty, students, visitors, and staff are feeling rising unease about their status and sense of belonging in America.
Open and free inquiry, and academic collaborations with universities from around the world are central to our institutional mission. This includes collaborations with institutions in China. The University of Maryland has established many academic exchanges and developed historical bonds of friendship with them. One of the symbols of the normalization of U.S.-China relations some forty years ago took place on our campus in Cole Fieldhouse, the so-called “ping-pong diplomacy” matches between the U.S. and China’s national teams.
Since then, China has transformed itself into the second largest economy in the world. Amid rising geo-political, economic, and cultural tensions between our countries, there is U.S. concern about China’s multi-faceted efforts at influence-seeking. About a year ago, a senior Federal law enforcement official testified before Congress that persons of Chinese descent represent a “whole of society” threat to America. In academic, scientific, and governmental organizations, they are increasingly subject to generalized suspicion and greater scrutiny.
I write to reaffirm the University of Maryland’s commitment to international collaborations and support for all faculty, students, visiting scholars, and staff on our campus from all countries, including China. American research universities, a landmark of American civilization, have thrived because of our core values of openness, academic freedom, and inclusiveness. Our universities draw talent from all over the world. In the U.S., the majority of PhDs in STEM fields are awarded to international students, many of whom eventually become U.S. residents and citizens.
We must remain true to these core academic values. At the same time, as American institutions, we also need greater awareness and vigilance to confront undue foreign influence, which rises to the level of foreign interference.
The Association of American Universities and the American Public and Land Grant Universities have identified practices of universities that can help ensure the security of research, protect against intellectual property theft and academic espionage, and prevent foreign infringement on values of free speech and scientific integrity. The American Council of Education has also compiled best practices.
I have asked our Vice President for Research, Laurie Locascio, to form and lead a campus group to consider implementing these practices on our campus, as appropriate. They may include, for example, expanding campus awareness of foreign interference; enhancing the training of faculty, researchers, and graduate students on foreign export controls and reporting requirements; reviewing foreign gifts and grants; reviewing foreign conflicts of interest; strengthening data security, cybersecurity, and research security; and safeguarding information in foreign travels.
I urge our campus to stay in touch with Laurie about any individual issues as they arise so that she and her staff can work with you to resolve them.
The U.S.-China bilateral relationship is of global and strategic importance. Today, it is increasingly fraught and competitive. The challenge of U.S. research universities, including the University of Maryland, is to safeguard our academic values and our nation’s legitimate interests. At stake are American leadership in education, research, and innovation in the 21st century and the resilience of our democracy.
Sincerely,
Wallace D. Loh
President, University of Maryland
At this point, altogether 8 leading American universities have issued such public statement: University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University, Michigan University at Ann Arbor, University of California at Davis, Rice University, University of Delaware, Yale University and University of Maryland at College Park. At UCA, we hope you will help keep this momentum going by contacting leaders of your university asking them to issue similar statements.
Great effort!