A public forum entitled “Intellectuals and the Institution: What's in the Service of the Nation?” was organized to address the relationship between academia and government, especially during a time of war. Today, academics are often compelled to take positions on controversial political matters, which can come into tension with the educational mission of their institutions.  

The event was sponsored by Dollars & Sins, the Princeton Justice Project, the Council for the Humanities, the Program in American Studies, the Program in African-American Studies, the USG and the Pace Center.

The organizers of the event are, for the most part, the same students who wrote and circulated the October letter to President Tilghman, Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter and the Daily Princetonian. As you might know, many signatories of the letter were unsatisfied with the responses of Dean Slaughter and President Tilghman, and now hope to engage the university community in further debate. The forum will focus on three concerns: (1) the welcoming of such figures as Michael Chertoff, General David Petraeus, and Secretary Rice by the WWS at a time of profound US public division over these officials’ policies. What do they signify for the state of America’s academia and Princeton’s integrity specifically? (2) the format of the Rice talk in particular. Did the university have an obligation to allow for more questioning and critical dialogue during the event? Or did it meet the standards of a serious open exchange befitting an educational institution?; and (3) the content and implications of Dean Slaughter’s public comments on Secretary Rice. These include her quoted remarks in the press release initially announcing the visit, as well as her remarks during the event. Did these comments express merely her individual opinion, to which she is entitled? Or did they constitute, as the Bergen Record suggested, an endorsement by the WWS (or by the University as a whole) of Rice's behavior in her capacity as stateswoman?

Our letter’s publication sparked considerable media coverage (both on and off campus, in the Prince , the Tory, Z Mag and MiddleEast.org), demonstrating great interest both in the controversy and in further dialogue. Important questions have been raised about what an academic or intellectual is entitled to say when he or she may be understood as speaking on behalf of the University as an official. The forum will provide an ideal opportunity for the University community to engage in critical and constructive discussion of the relevant issues and to challenge Dean Slaughter’s conduct thoughtfully.

Panelists included: Professor Cornel West (quoted in the Prince news article on our letter and a vocal critic of the University’s handling of Secretary Rice’s visit), Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter, and Mark Bruzonsky, Woodrow Wilson School Alumnus, journalist and political commentator. The forum opened with a 15 minute presentation by each panelist, and concluded with a fiery Q&A section of more than 90 minutes..

Questions? -- Call Danilo Mandic - (732) 8242566, or write to dmandic@princeton.edu

For statements from the principal organizers of the Public Forum, click here.

For independent commentary on
*the Woodrow Wilson School's April 2005 "Rethinking the War on Terror" conference, click here;
*on the presentation of the Crystal Tiger Award to Colin Powell, click here;
*on the Condoleeza Rice visit, click here;
*and for a general review of Princeton University's 'guest list' decisions, click here.

Election, Occupation, Farce

    By Danilo Mandic

With unprecedented levels of violence, the U.S. is administering an “election” in Iraq with a flood of media worship to accompany it. This “grand moment in Iraqi history” is treated as the ultimate test for whether the U.S.’s democratizing mission was successful and, in the words of an AP news analysis, for whether Bush is “a lame duck.” Typically, few have pointed out that the most elementary conditions for a free and fair election are conspicuously absent.

Read More

At Business Conference, Ideology Served along with Catered Lunch

    by Tim Hambourger

This is my account of the events of Sunday, November 21st at the Business Today conference.

For me, what the conference made most clear was that many elites in the business world really believe the standard free market, capitalist rhetoric. While theoretically this should be easy to accept, it is still quite a shock to see so many people in one room unquestioningly swallow statements which to me seem like the most utter bullshit.

Read More