Stanford University is working to end an active academic contract with an unnamed Russian-related company.
The $1.65 million contract could be the “last remaining active contract between a U.S. university and a Russian entity,” according to The Stanford Daily, the school’s independent student publication.
University spokesperson Dee Mostofi said that Stanford started the partnership for “online access to business-related professional development courses.” Mostofi also mentioned that the contract fully complied with the sanctions on Russia but did not disclose the university’s reason for terminating the contract.
Further details from the Education Department’s College Foreign Gift and Contract Report show that the contract was set to expire next year and confirmed that the funds were not from the Russian government.
Stanford has yet to release a statement confirming the cancellation. However, President Marc Tessier-Lavigne informed the Faculty Senate on March 8 that the school has minimal investment and research connections with Russia.
Cutting All Contact With Russia
With this move, the elite California-based school now joins a growing list of higher education institutions cutting academic and financial ties with Russia amid its war on Ukraine.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology previously announced an end to its collaboration with the Russian Skolkovo Foundation and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech).
Middlebury College also suspended its study abroad program in Russia and recalled all its students studying in the country. Meanwhile, the University of Colorado, Ohio State University, and the University of Arizona have withdrawn investments and pending purchases from Russian-based companies.