Barry Sternlicht, a prominent real estate entrepreneur and one of Brown University’s top donors, has announced his decision to withdraw financial support from the university due to its willingness to consider joining an academic boycott of Israel. This move comes after the University of Rhode Island became the first higher education institution in the United States to discuss an academic boycott of Israel, with the final decision to be made by the board of governors in June.
In response to this controversy, Brown University’s president, Christina Paxson, stated that as part of an agreement, students will dismantle an encampment and refrain from violating the university code for the rest of the academic year. However, this decision has sparked outrage from Sternlicht who called it unconscionable. Given his substantial wealth exceeding three billion dollars, Sternlicht believes that ignoring facts and promoting propaganda under the guise of education sets a dangerous precedent.
The 63-year-old businessman emphasized that there should be no room for discussion when facts are being ignored and he views the university’s stance on this matter as a betrayal of true educational values. This issue highlights ongoing debates and controversies surrounding academic freedom, activism and political stances within educational institutions in the United States.