Contract renewal of Thomas Abowd at Tufts University
Letter calling on Tufts University to adhere to accepted standards of equity and transparency with regard to Dr. Thomas Abowd's contract renewal and to uphold the principles of academic freedom.
Attacks on Academic Freedom in Egypt Require Global Response
Scholars at Risk (SAR) and the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression in Egypt (AFTE) have filed a joint submission with the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review (UPR), highlighting attacks and pressures on higher education in Egypt.
SAR calls for action against attacks on higher ed communities in Iran
Scholars at Risk (SAR), in cooperation with the Human Rights Law Centre at the University of Nottingham, has filed a submission with the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review, highlighting attacks and pressures on higher education in Iran.
US denial of entry to Omar Barghouti
Letter to Secretary of State Pompeo protesting the decision to deny Omar Barghouti entry to the U.S.
2019 Giorgio Levi Della Vida Award for Excellence in Islamic Studies
Congratulations to Zeynep Çelik as recipient for the 2019 Giorgio Levi Della Vida Award for Excellence in Islamic Studies.
Arbitrary arrests of Birzeit University students
Letter to Israeli authorities condemning the continued harassment and arbitrary arrests of Palestinian university students by Israeli occupying forces. These arrests and campus incursions violate the right to education and academic freedom, and we call upon Israel to cease these attacks on Palestinian universities.
Calling on Kingsborough Community College to defend faculty free speech rights and academic freedom
Letter to the president of Kingsborough Community College and the interim chancellor of the City University of New York calling on them to defend faculty members subjected to baseless accusations of anti-Semitism and harassment, and to uphold the right to free speech and the principles of academic freedom.
Prolonged Detention of Academics in Iran
Letter to Iranian authorities protesting the prolonged detention of Iranian, dual-national, and foreign national academics in Iran.
Florida House Bill conflates criticism of Israel and Zionism with anti-Semitism
Letter criticizing the definition of anti-Semitism in HB 741, a bill under consideration by the Florida House of Representatives, because it conflates criticism of Israel and Zionism with anti-Semitism, thereby threatening the right to free speech and academic freedom at Florida's institutions of higher education.
In Memoriam, Edward Roger Owen (1935-2018)
MESA mourns the passing of Honorary Fellow Roger Owen.
In Memoriam, August Richard Norton (1946-2019)
MESA mourns the passing of Boston University Professor Emeritus Augustus Richard Norton.
IIE Awards Centennial Medal
Congratulations to to Keith David Watenpaugh for being awarded a Centennial Medal by The Institute of International Education.
Recent developments concerning the prosecution of Peace Petition signatories and targeting of scholars
Letter regarding recent developments in the prosecution of scholars who signed the declaration “We will not be a party to this crime”—commonly referred to as the “Academics for Peace Petition”—as well as the ongoing targeting of scholars whose research exposes threats emanating from the Turkish government’s policies in areas such as public health and environmental regulation.
In Memoriam, Kemal Karpat (1923-2019)
MESA mourns the passing of Founding Member and Turkish historian Kemal Karpat.
ACLS 2019 Frederick Burkhardt Residential Fellowships for Recently Tenured Scholars
Congratulations to Daniel Hershenzon and Lital Levy for receiving 2019 Burkhardt Residential Fellowships.
Medieval Academy Announces Inaugural Inclusivity and Diversity Travel Grant Awardee
Congratulations to Karen Pinto on receiving the inaugural Inclusivity and Diversity Travel Grant to present her paper, “Mapping the Worlds of the Global Middle Ages,” during the MMA’s 94th annual meeting, March 7-9 in Philadelphia.
MESA joins other societies in a letter regarding academic inquiry and scholarly research in Hungary
MESA joined in a letter to the Prime Minister of Hungary regarding academic inquiry and scholarly research in Hungary.
Public Smear Campaign against Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian and Hebrew University’s Failure to Protect Her
Letter denouncing the aggressive public smear campaign against Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian related to her research and expressing concern regarding the Hebrew University’s failure to protect her.
MESA joins other societies in a letter to Alaskan officials regarding funding cuts to higher education
In response to Alaska Governor Dunleavy's proposed funding cuts for higher education, 32 professional societies signed-on to a letter expressing concern about the damage such cuts would impose.
ATCA’s Effect on the Right to Education for Palestinian Students
Letter to President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives expressing opposition to the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act (ATCA) of 2018, as it results in the denial of the right to education to Palestinian students from the West Bank and Gaza Strip in a MEPI program. CAF calls on Congress and the President to cancel ATCA.
Failing “waiver process” is symptomatic of Muslim Ban’s arbitrary and discriminatory character
International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) pens an op-ed on the failure of the Muslim Ban's promised "waiver process."
Israeli Arrests of Palestinian Students and Professors, Israeli Assaults on Palestinian Campuses
Letter condemning the arbitrary arrests and detention of Palestinian students and professors as well as the assaults on Palestinian universities. These measures are a clear violation of Palestinian academic freedom.
More than 200 sign letter supporting Hatoon al-Fassi
More than 200 scholars and personalities from around the world have signed a letter written to the king and crown prince of Saudi Arabia on behalf of renowned Saudi scholar, writer and women’s rights advocate Hatoon al-Fassi. She has been detained and held in solitary confinement in the kingdom since June 21, 2018. The letter calls upon the Saudi government to release Dr. al-Fassi and to allow her to continue her important work. MESA's Committee on Academic Freedom wrote a letter to protest her arrest (dated 3 July 2018) and MESA awarded Dr. al-Fassi the 2018 Academic Freedom Award.
State Security Court upholds 10 year prison sentence of Ahmed Mansoor
Letter to UAE authorities protesting the decision of the State Security Court of the Federal Supreme Court to uphold the 10 year prison sentence imposed on human rights advocate Ahmed Mansoor in 2018.
Concern for health of Nasser bin Ghaith, sentenced to 10 years in 2017
Letter to UAE authorities expressing concern for the health of Nasser bin Ghaith, a professor of economics sentenced to ten years' imprisonment in 2017 for "insulting" the UAE in public statements and tweets, who is on hunger-strike.