Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    An AI-Driven Work Force
    AI and Microcredentials
Sign In
News

Higher-Ed Groups Are Warning Colleges Against ‘Surveillance’ of Chinese Academics. On Some Campuses, That’s Already Begun.

By Lindsay Ellis August 12, 2019
Christopher Wray, the FBI director, has said that colleges and universities need “to be much more sophisticated and thoughtful about how others may exploit the very open collaborative research environment that we have in this country and revere in this country.”
Christopher Wray, the FBI director, has said that colleges and universities need “to be much more sophisticated and thoughtful about how others may exploit the very open collaborative research environment that we have in this country and revere in this country.”Alex Wong, Getty Images

Monitoring Chinese scholars in the United States could “trample on individual rights” and impede scientific research, a group of prominent higher-education associations said in a statement released on Monday.

The statement, published by the PEN America, a free-speech nonprofit organization, is the latest signal that advocates for American research universities are worried about higher education’s position in the cross hairs as political and economic tensions between the two countries heighten.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Christopher Wray, the FBI director, has said that colleges and universities need “to be much more sophisticated and thoughtful about how others may exploit the very open collaborative research environment that we have in this country and revere in this country.”
Christopher Wray, the FBI director, has said that colleges and universities need “to be much more sophisticated and thoughtful about how others may exploit the very open collaborative research environment that we have in this country and revere in this country.”Alex Wong, Getty Images

Monitoring Chinese scholars in the United States could “trample on individual rights” and impede scientific research, a group of prominent higher-education associations said in a statement released on Monday.

The statement, published by the PEN America, a free-speech nonprofit organization, is the latest signal that advocates for American research universities are worried about higher education’s position in the cross hairs as political and economic tensions between the two countries heighten.

The statement’s signatories urged universities to “zealously safeguard their independence” by committing to academic freedom and due process, and by supporting student and faculty privacy.

“China’s government is notorious for its aggressive use of surveillance,” the statement reads, in part. “Efforts by the United States to fend off the global arm of autocracy must not mimic the very tactics it professes to reject.”

Some college presidents, in recent letters, have signaled support for their foreign scholars. But scrutiny of foreign visitors at American colleges has already escalated in this new environment.

Ohio State University late last year asked representatives of China’s New York consulate to leave the campus after earlier telling them their visit was not permitted. And the University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s head of research said at an Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities event in January that the campus had added new policies for foreign visitors.

“We even show them to the restroom,” said Robert Nobles, the interim vice chancellor for research, “so they’re not wandering around campus.” He declined to comment further.

China and America are each other’s top research collaborators, and the continuing political and economic conflict between the two countries has strained scientific partnerships. Chinese enrollment on American campuses has recently slowed, a worrying sign as university revenue increasingly depends on tuition dollars.

The statement on Monday responded to an NPR story reporting that government intelligence groups had urged research universities to monitor students and visiting scholars linked to China’s government. Over the last 18 months, national-security experts have warned that campuses’ open environments, at the core of the identity of American higher education, could be exploited by foreign governments.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology said it would add new scrutiny to research collaborations with China, and Emory University and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas pushed out scientists because they did not properly disclose their research work with China.

Monday’s statement said that agencies “need to clarify and specify their concerns, and ensure that their efforts do not trample on individual rights, nor on the principle of free and open academic inquiry and exchange.”

It was endorsed by groups including the American Association of University Professors, the Association for the Study of Higher Education, and the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Groups representing Chinese-American citizens, including the United Chinese Americans and trade groups for Chinese and Asian-Americans, also signed it.

Correction (8/12/2019, 3:40 p.m.): This article originally referred to PEN America, a free-speech nonprofit organization, by its former name. This article has been updated to reflect this correction.

Lindsay Ellis is a staff reporter. Follow her on Twitter @lindsayaellis, or email her at lindsay.ellis@chronicle.com.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Scholarship & Research
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
Ellis_Lindsay.jpg
About the Author
Lindsay Ellis
Lindsay Ellis, a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, previously covered research universities, workplace issues, and other topics for The Chronicle.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Content

How University Research Landed on the Front Lines of the Fight With China
2 More Faculty Members Lose Their Jobs Over Contacts With China
MIT, Amid Scrutiny of Foreign Research, Announces Stricter Review of Chinese and Saudi Collaborations

More News

Photo illustration showing Santa Ono seated, places small in the corner of a dark space
'Unrelentingly Sad'
Santa Ono Wanted a Presidency. He Became a Pariah.
Illustration of a rushing crowd carrying HSI letters
Seeking precedent
Funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions Is Discriminatory and Unconstitutional, Lawsuit Argues
Photo-based illustration of scissors cutting through paper that is a photo of an idyllic liberal arts college campus on one side and money on the other
Finance
Small Colleges Are Banding Together Against a Higher Endowment Tax. This Is Why.
Pano Kanelos, founding president of the U. of Austin.
Q&A
One Year In, What Has ‘the Anti-Harvard’ University Accomplished?

From The Review

Photo- and type-based illustration depicting the acronym AAUP with the second A as the arrow of a compass and facing not north but southeast.
The Review | Essay
The Unraveling of the AAUP
By Matthew W. Finkin
Photo-based illustration of the Capitol building dome propped on a stick attached to a string, like a trap.
The Review | Opinion
Colleges Can’t Trust the Federal Government. What Now?
By Brian Rosenberg
Illustration of an unequal sign in black on a white background
The Review | Essay
What Is Replacing DEI? Racism.
By Richard Amesbury

Upcoming Events

Plain_Acuity_DurableSkills_VF.png
Why Employers Value ‘Durable’ Skills
Warwick_Leadership_Javi.png
University Transformation: a Global Leadership Perspective
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin