After a semester-long process, recommendations from Colgate University’s Task Force on Institutional Voice were approved by the Board of Trustees and faculty. The group produced a report on whether the University should produce statements on national or world events, ultimately concluding that it should abstain from using its institutional voice unless an event explicitly impacts the operations of the University.
The report also received input and support from the Staff Affairs Council and the Student Government Association. President Brian W. Casey, who first received the group’s report in October, shared the update in a Dec. 10 email to the Colgate community.
“By centering these moments on dialogue, critical thinking and the pursuit of knowledge, the report notes, Colgate will stay true to its mission and values,” Casey wrote.
Jenna Reinbold, associate professor of religion and director of the Native American studies program, chaired the task force, which based its conclusions on the University’s mission statement and Statement on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression. She was joined by 15 other members, including faculty, Colgate administrators and board members.
In the email update, Casey responded to a concern that the University is committing to a standard of silence by accepting the task force’s recommendations. Instead, he noted, adopting the report signals that Colgate is ready to promote extensive conversations and debates when national or world events occur.
“While there might be fewer formal statements coming from my office regarding events of the day, I trust that there will be a continuation of — or even an increase in — academic and intellectual work taking place in a community that cares and respects each of its members,” Casey wrote.
Noting the importance of examining the role of higher education during world events, Casey also announced that the University would host a new Presidential Speaker Series, “The University and the Public Good: The Role of the American College in Our Time.” The first installment will be a live-streamed conversation between Casey, journalist Bret Stephens of The New York Times and Colgate alumna Goldie Blumenstyk ’79, a former senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education. Additional on-campus installments in the spring will be announced soon.
The task force’s recommendation can be found on the University’s website.
