Special Notice / Hearing: None
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Jackie Speier, District 1
Subject: Recognition of the Need to Oppose Political Coercion of Institutions of Higher Education
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution:
A) Recognizing the need to oppose the coercion of colleges and universities to force any political agenda upon an institution of higher education; and
B) Celebrating the enormous contributions to peace, security, and public welfare by those who each day study within, teach, administer, and otherwise support the colleges and universities of the United States of America.
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BACKGROUND:
San Mateo County’s economy and vibrancy are closely linked to colleges and universities in this region, including major public and private institutions as well as regional universities and community colleges. New discoveries from this network of universities and colleges have given rise to globally impactful advancements that have launched or contributed greatly to entire industries.
The Federal Administration has made continued attacks on higher education that are vigorous and well-organized assaults on long-standing American values. These attacks undermine job creation, innovation, the economy and lifesaving discoveries by causing political considerations as the reason to fund a particular scientific project rather than using scientific merit as the rationale for funding.
DISCUSSION:
Innovation is fundamental to the American character, and thus grants must be awarded on the basis of scientific and professional merit and funding withdrawn only for just cause under law and consistent with due process. Ideologically motivated political pressure has no legitimate role in university admissions, hiring, or employment nor in the development or the content of university and college curriculum. Accusations made against universities and colleges, followed abruptly by discontinued grants, requirements for curriculum changes or demands for settlement funds to enable the continued conduct of routine and lawful activities, when made without due process or basis in fact or law, are incompatible with the principle of equal justice under the law.
Furthermore, free speech and peaceful protest and privacy are to be respected, and diverse viewpoints must be permitted to be peacefully shared in the public spaces of colleges and universities. Diversity of background and experience enriches the learning experience by revealing new horizons, and differing ideas cultivate new discoveries and peaceful relations among individuals with different viewpoints.
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
San Mateo County and the San Francisco Bay Area have, over decades, been home to global leaders in nearly all significant fields of human endeavor, including government, commercial enterprise, and academia. These leaders were often immigrants, drawn by universities and colleges, who found, in San Mateo County and the Bay Area, an environment where human genius is celebrated and nurtured.
The resolution reflects the County’s long-standing values of academic freedom, diversity of thought, equal justice under the law, and respect for lawful process, and reinforces the County’s commitment to sustaining a thriving, innovative, and inclusive community.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no new Net County Cost associated with the adoption of the proposed Resolution.