Lehigh’s Faculty Senate officially published its resolution endorsing the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ “A Call for Constructive Engagement Letter” opposing government overreach and political intrusion in higher education.
At its Friday meeting, senate members elected to pass the resolution despite President Joseph Helble’s decision to not sign the AAC&U letter.
According to the resolution, the senate strongly endorses the AAC&U letter, calls for ongoing discussion about how Lehigh will defend its core mission and pledges to defend principles of freedom and inclusion of all groups.
Peter Zeitler, chair of the Faculty Senate, said in a follow-up interview with The Brown and White that the senate discussed the resolution and its rationale during a senate retreat held Tuesday.
He said the senate discussed the next steps the senate should take to support the pledge it made in the resolution.
Zeitler also said as opposed to creating a petition for individual faculty members to sign in favor of the AAC&U letter, the senate has elected to find ways to help faculty express their individual opinions through concrete actions.
Zeitler said the Faculty Senate will continue to discuss the best ways to uphold the senate’s resolution.
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