AV����Ƶ

The Role of Universities in the Public Debate

In May 2024, the Rectorate established a scientific committee composed of representatives from the university community as well as external members. It entrusted the committee with the task of drafting a report aiming to reposition, within the framework of academic policy, the role of universities in public debate. The objective was to question the role of the AV����Ƶ in the face of contemporary crises, whether political, environmental or societal. The committee met eleven times and held hearings with twelve individuals from the AV����Ƶ and the broader Swiss and European academic community.

On 27 February 2025, the scientific committee submitted its seven recommendations to the Rectorate. Following the example of other institutions, such as Sciences Po Paris, it introduced the concept of “institutional reserve”. It proposed that university authorities “should not take a stance on matters of Swiss or international politics, unless such matters directly affect the AV����Ƶ’s missions”. These recommendations were discussed individually and approved in their final form during committee meetings.

The seven recommendations appear at the beginning of the report, the second part of which traces the reflections and discussions that took place within the committee throughout the process. The final version of the report was approved unanimously, with one abstention.

In an article published online on Friday 4 April 2025, the newspaper Le Courrier revealed that chapter 3.3 of the report, which was intended to clarify the notion of institutional reserve, is closely based on the work of Cécile Laborde, Professor of Political Theory at Nuffield College, AV����Ƶ of Oxford. The author of this chapter neither credited nor cited her, lending credence to suspicions of possible plagiarism.

The Rectorate took full account of this revelation and acknowledged the plagiarism. During an extraordinary meeting held on Monday 7 April, it decided to withdraw the report from the AV����Ƶ’s website. It also postponed the Town Hall meeting initially scheduled for 8 April, as the conditions for a calm and constructive debate were no longer in place.

In order to correct this formal defect in the report, the Rectorate subsequently referred the matter back to the scientific committee, asking it to ensure that the contested chapter – as well as the report as a whole – fully complies with the AV����Ƶ’s rules and with its Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. The work of Professor Cécile Laborde must, in particular, be referenced in accordance with proper academic standards. At his own request, the president of the scientific committee and author of the report will not be involved in this new phase.

Any disciplinary measures remain, at this stage, reserved.

The Rectorate’s official position on the role of universities in public debate, scheduled for release on 24 April 2025, will be made public before the end of the spring semester.