z__What Prompted This Initiative?

The ever-increasing attacks on scholars in many places throughout the world today have made this initiative morally mandatory. In some places, for example in Turkey, universities are being shuttered and hundreds of scholars purged and jailed. In other countries, like Yemen and Syria, scholars have been forced to flee and universities have been destroyed, severely weakening, if not eliminating, the infrastructure necessary for higher education. We believe universities that are not confronting such threats must act to protect the scholars and universities that are.

The Consortium was conceived by current faculty at The New School for Social Research, led by Professor Arien Mack, to address the increasing number of academics living under threat today. The New School is the convener, organizer, and administrative base of this initiative. We hope to expand our membership to include many other universities and colleges.