In December 2021, the Faculty of Law received a donation from Amazon in the amount of US $450,000. The gift supported scholarship and experiential education in law and economics, a field in which we are globally recognized, and which spans diverse scholarly areas including competition law, innovation law, and law and technology. The gift was allocated to approved academic fundraising priorities in accordance with University guidelines.
In recent days, questions about this matter have arisen. In keeping with our unwavering commitment to transparency, this statement is being shared to address them.
All decisions on research and scholarly activities pertaining to the gift were made by academic leads, in alignment with approved academic priorities. There were no restrictions placed by the donor as to how the money could be spent, and expenditures were made at the discretion of the Faculty. In short, the core principles of academic freedom and institutional autonomy were upheld.
To date, the gift has supported stipends for six student research assistants; venue, travel-related and hospitality expenses for events; and communications costs. It has also supported a staff position to coordinate, among other things, an online speaker series.
The gift adhered to the University’s policy on donations and, in keeping with reporting procedures for charitable gifts, was included in quarterly donor reports to the Governing Council through its Academic and Business Boards in March of 2022. Amazon’s name was included in these reports.
Questions have also arisen as to why the donor’s name was not shared publicly, and why participants in events supported by the Amazon donation were not notified of the source of the funding.
I have stated publicly, in a previous statement dated August 18, that I decided not to share the source of financial support because my top priority was to foster open discussion and debate that reflects the full range of perspectives in the field. All viewpoints were welcome, and communicating the source of the funding could have created a misperception that some perspectives would be prioritized over others. I recognize that more information may have been preferred to enable some of our participants and invited speakers to fully evaluate their engagement in these activities.
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.
For that reason, I have decided, together with President Gertler, to return the gift to Amazon.
Furthermore, the University will immediately introduce a new guideline to ensure that in the future, all philanthropic donations from corporations will be publicly disclosed.
As a learning organization with a deep commitment to continuous improvement and to upholding the highest standards of excellence, the University is also commissioning an independent survey of best practices among post-secondary institutions with respect to recognition and disclosure of corporate giving. We will use the findings to inform future decision-making and potential updates to our Faculty’s gift acceptance policies.
Jutta Brunnée, FRSC
Dean, University Professor and James Marshall Tory Dean's Chair
