Swarthmore College will still bring retired military personnel on campus as visiting faculty, despite protests from some students and faculty, write Susan Snyder for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The protests surround a partnership the college is creating with the Chamberlain Project.

The Project works to close gaps between civilians and the military by educating future civic, cultural and business leaders about the armed services.

The decision divided the school. Supporters say it will broaden views and encourage debate about the military, the largest, most influential institution in America.

Opponents pointed to the military’s historically hostile treatment of LGBTQ people and feared it would exert an undue influence on the curriculum.

Faculty passed a resolution last month calling for the college to withdraw from the partnership.

Swarthmore College President Valerie Smith defended the partnership Friday.

 “I ultimately drew from the College’s mission and my fundamental belief that critical to the liberal arts is our ability to engage in the exchange of diverse and often opposing views, not to shut them out,” she wrote.

The college participation does not mean blanket approval of defense policy and military actions, she said.

Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer about Swarthmore College’s decision to use retired military as faculty.