Cambridge University seeks deal with Saudi defense ministry despite rights concerns | University of Cambridge

Cambridge University’s enterprise college is looking for to offer “leadership development” and “innovation management” to Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry despite concerns over its authorities’s document on human rights and local weather change, the Guardian has realized.

Cambridge’s management has authorised a proposal by the college’s Judge enterprise college to type a “memorandum of understanding” with the ministry for companies and coaching, after an preliminary introduction by the UK’s Ministry of Defence.

Senior lecturers described the proposal as “horrifying” and a betrayal of Cambridge University’s commitments to freedom of expression.

Documents seen by the Guardian state that an settlement “would set preliminary goals and terms for potential collaborations to develop executive education, innovation management, leadership development and healthcare administration strategies, working exclusively with the civilian administration of the [Saudi defence ministry].”

The college’s press workplace declined to remark and handed inquiries to the enterprise college. A spokesperson for the enterprise college mentioned: “Cambridge Judge business school has not signed such an MoU [memorandum of understanding] with the Saudi Arabia defense ministry.”

But Judge enterprise college officers instructed Cambridge’s committee on advantages and exterior and authorized affairs, which scrutinizes funding and analysis proposals for reputational threat, that it “was requesting permission to enter into a memorandum of understanding” with the ministry.

The advantages committee, chaired by the vice-chancellor, Prof Deborah Prentice, authorised the request by a majority vote at its assembly in January. It mentioned an settlement “would in principle be acceptable” however required the committee to be consulted on particular person contracts.

Confidential minutes of the assembly present committee members expressed concerns in regards to the Saudi authorities’s “record on human rights and climate change… and the ability of the university to safely maintain its staff’s academic freedoms.”

A senior educational who sits on Cambridge’s college council mentioned: “This is horrifying. The University of Cambridge’s values ​​are to protect ‘freedom of thought and expression’ and ‘freedom from discrimination’. Instead of fighting for our principles, we’re selling them out to the most murderous regime in the world.

“The concept that our lecturers could be secure in a rustic that arbitrarily imprisons and murders those that dare diverge from state dogma is shameless and disgusting. It’s a complete betrayal of what we must always stand for.”

UK universities regularly sell consultancy and training to foreign governments, with individual contracts running into millions of pounds. But the proposal to work with the Saudi defense ministry has stirred alarm given its involvement in regional conflicts including in Iran and Yemen.

An “executive MBA” at the Judge business school charges tuition fees of £98,000, while a “global executive MBA” starting in January charges £107,000.

David Whitaker, the business school’s director of alumni relations and external engagement, told the benefits committee: “The proposal aligned with the university’s mission to benefit society through education and was strategically aligned with the UK government.”

The committee was told: “Strong mitigations were in place to protect against reputational risk, including emphasis within the draft MoU of its civilian-only scope, and noting that any future funded contracts could be contracted with the [Saudi government’s] Institute of Public Administration, rather than the MoD.”

Those on the committee advocating for the deal claimed it offered “an opportunity to effect change positively within the [Saudi] government”.

Darragh O’Reilly, a student representative on the university’s governing council, said: “Cutting a deal with a overseas navy is a really severe error of judgment. Cambridge’s distinctive college democracy, with its delicate checks and balances, is on the verge of collapse.

“I’m deeply fearful that the college regulator is asleep on the wheel. Our governing statutes are being continually reinterpreted by senior employees, there may be an more and more uncomfortable environment in our council conferences [and] “the accountability mechanisms are broken.”