Conference, Trainings & Workshops
Conferences
10th Anniversary Celebration & Network Meeting New York University, New York, USA
October 3-4, 2011
Trainings
Scholars at Risk offers training sessions on best practices for promoting academic freedom and defending the human rights of scholars. Combining case study, role play and guided discussion, the sessions aims to equip participants to act effectively in defence of threatened scholars. The trainings provide participants (university faculty, administrators, trustees, students, academic associations, unions and other stakeholders) with advice and guidelines for responding to threats to scholars, universities or associations around the world.
For further information on Scholars at Risk training sessions or to organize a session for your association or university, please contact scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu or +1-212-998-2179.
Recent Trainings
American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Best Practices for Defending Threatened Scientists
Scholars at Risk partnered with the Welfare of Scientists Working Group of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to host a training workshop on best practices for defending threatened scientists. The workshop was held at the AAAS offices in Washington D.C. on January 21, 2010. Representatives from scientific associations, universities, government agencies and the private sector participated in the workshop, which addressed the role of international and regional human rights standards in protecting individual scientists; procedures for evaluating requests for assistance from colleagues at-risk; effective response strategies; proven public and private advocacy techniques; alert-writing; and intelligent ways to engage key stakeholders in efforts to defend threatened scientists.
American Conference of Academic Deans (ACAD)
Academic Freedom as Risk Management
Scholars at Risk presented a workshop on “Academic Freedom as Risk Management” at the American Conference of Academic Deans 66th Annual Meeting. The workshop, attended by provosts and deans from universities and colleges across the United States, was held on January 20, 2010 in Washington D.C. The session combined case study, role play and guided discussion to explore how grounding leadership in core university values can minimize threats to academic freedom, turning crises into opportunities to enhance an institution’s most valuable asset – its reputation.
Workshops
Academic Freedom Workshops
In a knowledge-driven world, academic freedom is more important than ever. Recognising this, Scholars at Risk and the Network for Education and Academic Rights (NEAR), together with partners worldwide, have undertaken a series of workshops to raise awareness of academic freedom and related values - including access, accountability/transparency, academic freedom/quality, autonomy/good governance, and social responsibility. Each workshop aims to better understand the local and regional dimensions of these issues, while inviting participants to inform on-going research and advocacy to promote academic freedom worldwide.
A separate workshops website provides summaries of each event along with a curriculum and materials to help users to develop their own advocacy activities, with the view to expanding the community of international academic freedom defenders even more. Click on the logo or visit www.academicfreedom.info/workshops.
The workshops website also hosts ‘UNIVERSITY VALUES’, an electronic bulletin featuring articles, essays and announcements promoting discussion and understanding of university values. SAR and NEAR coordinate the production and circulation of the bulletin, in cooperation with an international network of contributing organisations and individuals. To learn more including how you might contribute, click on the logo or visit http://www.academicfreedom.info/workshops/bulletin.html.