The executive councils of the Rutgers AAUP-AFT and the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union condemn the withdrawal of Rami Elghandour’s (ENG’01) invitation to serve as the School of Engineering, Rutgers University-New Brunswick (SOE, RU-NB) convocation speaker. This decision by the administration is a politically motivated suppression of expression that undermines rather than advances the free exchange of ideas on our campus, and clearly reflects a broader pattern of universities applying a Palestine exception to their stated commitments to free speech. 

Rami Elghandour is a 2001 graduate of the School who has gone on to lead two multibillion-dollar companies. He has used his success to advocate for gender equity and social justice, ranking among the country’s top CEOs for both women and diversity. He is also an executive producer on the Oscar-nominated film “The Voice of Hind Rajab” and on “American Doctor,” which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, and serves on nonprofit boards focused on education, gender equity, and humanitarian work. He has remained committed to Rutgers, hosting students through the Road to Silicon Valley Program (RSVP) every year, including sixty students, many of them SOE, RU-NB engineers, just last week.

Elghandour has used his position to advocate for human rights for decades, including condemning the genocide in Gaza. His positions and statements were public when SOE, RU-NB invited him to speak at graduation, with Dean Cuitiño of the School of Engineering in Rutgers, New Brunswick, announcing on April 14 that “his personal and professional actions embody the values and vision of the School of Engineering, making our world a better place through his achievements in healthcare innovation and his commitment to advancing our community.” The invitation was withdrawn on April 30 apparently because of complaints from some students over Elghandour’s public stances, which we view as a direct violation of the university’s stated commitment to free speech and inquiry. As recently as October 2025, Rutgers President William F. Tate IV wrote that “the role of the university is not to prevent discomfort or protect ideology,” and that canceling a voice is “a sign of weakness, not strength.” Dean Cuitiño’s decision fails these standards.

The Rutgers AAUP-AFT and the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union call on Dean Cuitiño to reinstate Rami Elghandour as Convocation Speaker without delay. Freedom of speech is not an abstract principle; it is the contractual and moral foundation of this institution and of the faculty, staff, and students who make it function. This is also an attack on our community’s basic right to hear diverse perspectives. A speaker removed without cause, without process, and without a single stated objection sets a precedent both unions cannot accept.