Press release: Research under political pressure

Nr. 17/2016 - 29.01.2016

Göttingen University joins worldwide network “Scholars at Risk“

(pug) In January 2016, Göttingen University became a member in the “Scholars at Risk" network. “Scholars at Risk” is a worldwide coalition of more than 400 higher education associations in a total of 39 countries. Headquartered in New York, the organisation supports researchers, scientists and scholars who are threatened, persecuted or put under political pressure because of their words, ideas and research. “The vision and objectives of ‘Scholars at Risk' reflect the basic values of the academic community, namely, scholarly and academic freedom," declares Professor Hiltraud Casper-Hehne, Vice-President of International Affairs at Georgia Augusta. “With our membership, we help protect scholars whose freedom is threatened in this respect.”

“Scholars at Risk” was spawned from a human rights programme at the University of Chicago in 1999. Within a year, the network had embarked on its mission at an international conference in Chicago. In 2003, the network moved its headquarters to New York University. The organisation provides consultation and support to over 350 researchers, scientists and scholars every year, for example, by helping them find sanctuary at member institutions of higher education to work academically on topics they were unable to pursue in their homeland for political reasons. Over the past 15 years, as many as 2,000 scholars around the world have benefited from the network’s services, whilst over 600 have found fellowship positions. For further information, please visit scholarsatrisk.nyu.edu.

Contact:
Professor Hiltraud Casper-Hehne
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Vice-President of International Affairs
Wilhelmsplatz 1, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Phone +49 (0)551 39-13110
E-mail: hiltraud.casper-hehne@zvw.uni-goettingen.de
Internet: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/vizepraesidentin-fuer-internationales-prof-dr-hiltraud-casper-hehne-/110984.html