FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dawn Crawford, media@aasforum.org, 720-231-1930
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The academic community is expressing its grave concerns about the detrimental impact of reinstating the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) China Initiative on U.S. scientific and technological leadership in a new letter from Stanford Faculty and Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) Fellows Peter F. Michelson, Luke Blossom Professor in the School of Humanities & Sciences, Professor of Physics at Stanford University and Steven Allan Kivelson, Prabhu Goel Family Professor at the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics, Member of the National Academy of Sciences. Endorsements from 1,919 faculty members and senior staff at U.S. colleges, universities, and affiliated research laboratories in 46 states and the District of Columbia have been added to the October 8, 2024 letter with 166 Stanford faculty members. This expanded endorsement list includes talented U.S. citizens and immigrants who have contributed substantially to education, research, and U.S. STEM workforce development.
Following the initial statement on October 8, 2024, AASF reiterates its support of Stanford faculty and opposition to any efforts to reinstate the China Initiative. Gisela Kusakawa, Executive Director of the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) said, “The expanded list includes highly regarded scholars from the nation’s top institutions and more across the country. The jump to nearly 2,000 endorsements is a resounding statement of opposition to the China Initiative from the Asian American scholar and broader research community. The contributions of scholars, researchers, and scientists are integral to national security and the economic advantages associated with U.S. leadership in science and engineering.”
As stated in the letter issued on October 28, 2024, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) noted, “Increasingly, these talents are gladly welcomed elsewhere, including by foreign competitors and adversaries. A failure to fully capitalize on our advantage in educating and attracting foreign-born science and engineering talent would be a policy ‘own goal’ in an era of increased geopolitical competition for leadership in advanced technologies.”
AASF stands with the nearly 2,000 scholars nationwide who strongly urge Congress to avoid policies that alienate valuable contributors to our national interests. Together, we emphasize the vital role that diversity and inclusivity play in making the United States a destination for world-leading STEM talent.
For more details about the previous letter, please refer to our full press release: Asian American Scholar Forum Stands with 165 Stanford Faculty in Opposing the Reinstatement of DOJ’s China Initiative.
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Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) is a national nonprofit that promotes academic belonging, openness, freedom, and equality for all. In response to heightened anti-Asian sentiments and profiling in the U.S., AASF has been a leading national voice fighting for the rights of Asian American and immigrant scientists, researchers, and scholars. AASF membership includes members from the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Science, and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, in addition to past and current university presidents, provosts, vice provosts, deans, associate deans, and past and current department chairs.
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