HARVARD’S POSITION ON PUBLIC POLICY IS A MODEL FOR ALL – Catholic League

Bill Donohue

Harvard’s decision to officially abstain from taking public policy positions is not only commendable, but it is a model for virtually every institution of higher learning. Indeed, it should be adopted by any entity that is not specifically founded as an advocacy organization. This would include corporations as well as umbrella groups representing professionals such as actors, athletes, doctors, nurses, teachers, and anyone else whose work does not involve advocacy for this or that cause.

In short, if a company sells shoes, it should sell shoes and refrain from making biased public statements.

“The purpose of the university is to pursue truth.” This is the first sentence in the “Report on Institutional Voice in the University.” It is so basic as to be uncontroversial, yet in my experience in the academy it has long been the subject of criticism, if not condemnation.

Harvard’s report rightly notes that “if the university and its leaders become accustomed to issuing official statements on matters outside the university’s core function, they will inevitably find themselves under pressure to do so from multiple, competing sides on almost every conceivable issue of the day.” When this happens, it notes, “it risks alienating some members of the community by expressing implicit solidarity with others.”

The justification continues by saying that “the reason for the silence is the belief that the purpose of the university can best be achieved by speaking only on matters directly related to its function, and not by issuing statements on other matters, no matter how important they may be.”

The same can be said of most organizations.

For example, when the NFL takes sides in the culture wars, it not only deviates from its mission but also needlessly alienates football fans. Similarly, the National Education Association should not tell teachers and students what to think, but how to think. Disney should be entertaining children, not promoting a politically biased agenda that many parents find objectionable.

The same goes for products like Bud Light and retail outlets like Target. Drinkers and customers want to know more about the products they sell, not the preferences of a corporate elite. Furthermore, it doesn’t matter what the content of the communication is. Keep politics and sexual messages out of it.

This fall, the board of trustees, administrators, and faculty of every college and university have an opportunity to discuss Harvard’s model. Hopefully, they will adopt it. It is also important that most other institutions consider this policy. The country is too polarized if prestigious organizations do not speak out on issues that do not directly relate to their raison d’être.

Note: We are sending this press release to a wide range of professional institutions, both within and outside the education sector.