This is a response to the recent American Studies Association’s endorsement of a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. The boycott endorsement is motivated by the concern regarding the lack of academic freedom for Palestinian scholars subject to the conditions of Israeli occupation. 

Many organizations, such as the American Association of University Professors, the Association of American Universities, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, have strongly opposed the boycott. These organizations believe that in fact the boycott itself would abridge the academic freedom of Israeli university faculty and their collaborators worldwide. 

We agree with the position taken by the AAUP, AAU, APLU, and others. The proposed boycott is not a correct or effective response to a complicated situation. We believe continued dialogue with colleagues and universities in Israel and other countries is in the best interests of academic freedom for all and is part of a long-standing international academic tradition. 

Cleveland State University is not an institutional member of the ASA. We speak only for ourselves in opposition to the boycott. However, we plan to bring the issue to the CSU Faculty Senate for their deliberation at their January meeting. 

Ronald M. Berkman 
President 
Cleveland State University 

Deirdre M. Mageean
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs 
Cleveland State University