Contrary
to Georgetown Prof's Claims, Dean Says Center Receives Taxpayer Support
by Winfield Myers
• Sep 22, 2014 at 2:40 pm
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Asked recently if Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab
Studies (CCAS) receives federal Title VI funds, director Osama Abi-Mershed
answered, "we are not tax supported."
His dean, James
Reardon-Anderson, begs to differ.
Following the revelation
that the directors of six federally-funded Middle East studies centers signed
a letter
pledging "not to collaborate on projects and events involving
Israeli academic institutions" in spite of "assurances"
each gave to "maintain
linkages with overseas institutions of higher education,"
Foreign Policy Research Institute president Alan Luxenberg emailed each
director and asked if their pledges were personal or apply to the centers
they lead.
In response to an inquiry, Reardon-Anderson, acting dean of the Walsh
School of Foreign Service, of which CCAS is a part, replied without
commenting on Abi-Mershed's claim that:
Yes, we are very proud that the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
has been, and we hope will remain, a recipient of Title VI designation
and support.
Reardon-Anderson stated that, "Of course,
as an institution of higher learning, we respect the right of each member
of our faculty, students or staff to exercise his or her freedom of
speech." He also noted Georgetown president John DeGioia's official
statement last December after the American Studies Association vote
to boycott Israeli academic institutions, which he said "undermines
the academic freedom that is essential to the mission of the
Academy." Still, DeGioia affirmed, "While the position of our
University remains opposed to any boycott, we will certainly defend the
rights of those who disagree."
But will he defend the "rights" of those who, like
Abi-Mershed, try to hide their federal support when faced with possible
violations of federal policies? Does freedom of speech extend to freedom
to one's own facts?
Reardon-Anderson's confirmation that CCAS receives taxpayer dollars
exposes Abi-Mershed's dodgy answer, but information confirming the
center's Title VI support is easily found on many Georgetown web pages.
CCAS's own website and
Facebook
page state:
Since 1997, CCAS has served as the core of Georgetown University's
National Resource Center on the Middle East, funded by a Title VI grant
from the U.S. Department of Education.
The Center's Newsletter
stated in 2010 that:
CCAS is pleased announce that the National Resource Center on the
Middle East (NRC) at Georgetown, of which CCAS is an integral part, has
received $2 million in funding for the next four years from the U.S.
Department of Education's Title VI program.
CCAS's K-14 Outreach
page states:
The program is supported by the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies,
private sector grants, and the U.S. Department of Education.
And CCAS's 2013-2014 Student
Handbook for the M.A. in Arab studies states "major
components" of CCAS include "a Title VI grant from the
Department of Education."
Abi-Mershed's claim that CCAS is "not tax supported" is
clearly false. Why should taxpayers trust him to use their dollars wisely
and in accord with federal policies?
Winfield Myers is director of academic affairs and director, Campus
Watch, a project of the Middle
East Forum.
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