"Truth Matters": Scholars at Risk anniversary and USI's pledge for academic freedom - Call for contributions

The current academic year marks the 25th anniversary of the international Scholars at Risk (SAR) Network and the 10th anniversary of its Swiss section. USI joined the network in 2016 (more detailed information on the SAR Network is available here).

Starting from the 2021–22 academic year, which was characterised by a particularly unstable and complex global situation, USI has played a significant role by providing support through temporary research and/or teaching appointments with visiting researcher status to seven SAR candidates from Afghanistan, Russia, Ukraine, and Sudan.

Member institutions have been invited to participate in this collective voice. The anniversary theme, “Truth Matters", offers an opportunity to reaffirm USI’s commitment to these values.

Therefore, we invite members of the USI academic staff to contribute with their own reflections that explore the topic of academic freedom from multiple perspectives and that highlight the intersections between academic freedom and various academic disciplines. Contributions will be published on the USI website according to the procedures outlined below and the corresponding pages will be featured on the dedicated SAR website: https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/anniversary-pledge-for-academic-freedom/.

Proposed format for contributions:

• Title
• First and last name
• Brief description of the institutional role at USI
• Author’s photograph (2880 × 1620 px, max 5 MB), optional
• Text (maximum 8,000 characters)
• Language: English and/or Italian

Processing and publication:

• The collected contributions will be reviewed by the International Relations and Study Abroad Service and the Institutional Communication Service, and published, together with information about the authors, on the USI institutional communications webpage and, depending on availability and in the International Relations and Study Abroad section.
• Full or partial translations will be handled by the International Relations and Study Abroad Service and the Institutional Communication Service.
• Only texts submitted by members of the USI academic staff will be considered.

Interested academics are invited to contact Maurizia Ruinelli, International Relations and Study Abroad Service ([email protected]) to receive the submission link or for further information.