Posted by DEAN SKIP RUTHERFORD – Over the past several days I have been asked frequently what I thought about Columbia University inviting President Ahmadinejad of Iran to speak on campus, providing him with a “public platform.” I agree with Columbia’s decision to have him speak. The thing I found most troubling was reports that some Columbia officials treated him rudely. If Columbia was going to invite him to campus, school officials should have treated him with respect or should not have invited him in the first place.
Columbia has a distinct advantage of being located in New York City, home of the United Nations. Attracting speakers in New York is easier than attracting them to Little Rock, though I’m very proud of what we are accomplishing here at the Clinton School. For example, Click here to check out our diverse and interesting October schedule.
Although nothing quite as controversial as President Ahmadinejad, we’ve had some objections about our speakers. Some on the “left” objected to conservative law professor and “torture memo” author John Yoo, and some on the “right” objected to athiest scientist Richard Dawkins. Some questioned why we would bring in the Syrian Ambassador or the Washington Bureau Chief of Al Jazeera. Karl Rove attracted a great deal of attention as did Islamic activist Irshad Manji. Not surprisingly, all gave outstanding presentations and many were able to experience a wide variety of views, even if they disagreed with them. All were treated with respect–proving people can debate and challenge views without being disrespectful.
When I was an undergraduate at the University of Arkansas in the late 60’s and early 70’s there were objections to inviting Muhammad Ali, former secretary of State Dean Rusk and the theatrical production “Hair” to campus. They came, and I enjoyed them all. Criticism of campus speakers, I’ve concluded, is not new and comes with the educational territory. Stay tuned for our future speaker schedules, and we always welcome your suggestions and comments—pro and con.
Responses