Statement on Academic Boycott of Israel

Campus Climate

Chancellor Block issued this statement regarding the American Studies Association vote endorsing an academic boycott of Israel.

As one of the world’s leading public research universities, UCLA has a steadfast commitment to the principles of academic freedom and open dialogue. In their pursuit of knowledge, our faculty and students must be free to collaborate and communicate with scholars around the world. Institutions throughout the Middle East are no exception, providing a valuable and essential range of ideas and perspectives that should not be excluded. Limiting academic debate and research violates our principles of independent inquiry and does a disservice not only to scholars here and abroad but also to the state, nation and world we are dedicated to improving. We affirm the rights of our scholars and join with the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in strongly opposing the boycott of Israeli academic institutions.