WINNIPEG – Lloyd Axworthy, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Winnipeg, issued a statement today regarding the boycott of Israeli academics and universities by the British University and College Union:
“I stand in solidarity with leaders from the academic community across Canada and around the world in condemning the actions of our colleagues in the British University and College Union and voicing our strong opposition to this unacceptable boycott of universities and academics in Israel.
Universities can only serve their true purpose so long as students and faculty are free to engage in the unrestricted debate of ideas and flow of knowledge. This is not only a fundamental tenet of academic freedom; it is a core value of a democratic society. Scholars must have the right to express their opinions in the academic world in the same way as citizens can express their democratic rights in an election. No one group can be allowed to arbitrarily censure the right of another. We who believe in democracy would never stand for it.”
Located in the heart of downtown, The University of Winnipeg is a compact, diverse, multicultural academic community committed to access and excellence. Home to more than 9,200 full- and part-time students, UWinnipeg has been ranked by our graduates in the Top Ten of all Canadian universities when asked about their “Entire Educational Experience” (Maclean’s Graduate Survey, June 2006). The Globe & Mail 2006 Report Card gives The University of Winnipeg an overall ‘A’ grade in the areas of quality of education, teaching quality, class sizes, faculty-student interaction, and the availability of faculty outside classroom hours. Find out why. Visit www.uwinnipeg.ca
