The University will limit comments on public issues in the future.
“Going forward, the University of Pennsylvania will refrain from institutional statements made in response to local and world events except for those which have direct and significant bearing on University functions,” according to a statement signed on September 10 by Penn Interim President J. Larry Jameson, the deans of Penn’s 12 schools, and other senior administrators. “The University will issue messages on local or world events rarely, and only when those events lie within our operational remit.”
Jameson shared the statement, Upholding Academic Independence, in an email message, along with a newly formulated expression of the University’s values (see below). In laying out the case for the new policy, the text points to a “well-meaning trend” among leaders at Penn and universities generally to weigh in on a wide variety of external events, which has accelerated since the pandemic “when we faced unprecedented challenges and social connections were so desperately needed.” While such messages have value, the statement continues, “there are also challenges and consequences to these messages.” For example, singling out certain issues for comment inevitably neglects others (“omissions that carry their own meanings, however inadvertent”), and institutional messaging may also result in taking sides, or appearing to, in a given situation. “Although there is alignment on the consequences of a natural disaster, economic, social, and legal actions, and even acts of war, have proponents and opponents,” the statement notes, and also cites the danger that having institutions render opinions could suppress “the creativity and academic freedom of our faculty and students” and “undermine the diversity of thought that strengthens us and that is central to our missions.”
The new policy applies to the president, provost, and other leaders “communicating in official capacities, where their statements may imply institutional positions.” By thus “quieting Penn’s institutional voice,” the intended outcome is to amplify that of the faculty. “Faculty members play an essential role in educating the public and offering the insights borne from their scholarship and research. Penn is, and should remain, a trusted source of truth.”
The statement acknowledges that “this new approach will not be easy” and that there may be disagreements over what “is or is not of direct concern to University operations,” but adds that “a great university such as Penn can use the debates that arise to grow stronger.”
“By upholding our commitment to academic independence, Penn reaffirms a dedication to a culture of excellence, freedom of expression and inquiry, and respect—values that are fundamental to the dynamic and inclusive culture of the University of Pennsylvania,” the statement concludes. “Facing these challenges together is another way to enhance our institutional culture, develop our community, and live our values.”
In his email message, Jameson wrote that the “new guidance represents the culmination of intensive deliberation about how Penn and its leaders can best support our mission and our community—now, and moving forward.” The policy aligns Penn with a number of universities that have moved to embrace various forms of “institutional neutrality,” espoused most prominently in the University of Chicago’s 1967 Kalven Report, in the wake of last year’s controversies around the Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, which led to pro-Palestinian encampments and other protests on campuses across the country, including at Penn.
But Jameson cautioned against interpreting the statement as “fear to take a studied position” or “as a response to past or upcoming events, or prior institutional positions.” And he emphasized that he and other leaders would “continue to communicate about policies and activities that have direct relevance to the University’s missions and its operations.” —JP
Restatement of Values
On the same day as announcing it would step back from commenting on local and world events not directly related to its own functions in Upholding Academic Independence, Penn also released a new statement of University Values, acting on recommendations from both the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community [“Gazetteer,” Jul|Aug 2024]:
The University of Pennsylvania is a scholarly community that advances discovery and opportunity toward a better future for all. We embrace excellence, freedom of inquiry and expression, and respect. Penn’s culture is inspired by its founder, Benjamin Franklin—open-minded and curious, inventive and practical, exhibiting brilliance across fields, imperfect but self-improving, and relentlessly focused on enhancing social good. These values are enduring and inspire us to be a positive force for the world, while remaining anchored and committed to our Philadelphia home.
September’s two new statements join the University’s motto from 1755, Leges Sine Moribus Vanae, generally translated as “Laws without morals are useless,” and the University’s current strategic framework In Principle and Practice [“Gazetteer,” Sep|Oct 2024], Interim President Jameson wrote in an email. “We are guided by framing and foundational words from hundreds of years ago, from last year, and from today. Over time, new words will capture and shape how we define and describe ourselves and chart our course. We are, and hope to forever be, a work in progress, and an institution that creates and disseminates knowledge for good.”
