The University of Toronto and its law faculty are returning a US$450,000 donation from Amazon following The Logic’s reporting that the gift went undisclosed and unreported to academics and students.
“The Faculty of Law upheld the University’s firm commitment to academic freedom, institutional autonomy and integrity. Nonetheless, we acknowledge the important questions raised about the lack of full transparency pertaining to the gift, and the perception of external influence on our academic activities,” wrote law dean Jutta
in a statement published on the university website. “For that reason, I have decided, together with [U of T] President [Meric] Gertler, to return the gift to Amazon.”
The university has also pledged to publicly disclose all future philanthropic donations from corporations.
Brunnée’s statement was also shared with the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), the organization representing 72,000 university academics and staff across the country. The CAUT was considering censuring the university as a result of the donation, which it said was “a serious violation of basic standards of academic integrity and academic freedom.” CAUT executive director David Robinson had a meeting with Gertler on Tuesday afternoon regarding the donation.