More than 150 university presidents signed a letter titled, “A Call for Constructive Engagement” taking aim at the Trump administration over what the presidents view as, “unprecedented government overreach” in higher education. The lettter can be found at the American Association of Colleges and Universities webpage.
“As leaders of America’s colleges, universities, and scholarly societies,” the letter began, “we speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.”
The leaders in higher education expressed willingness to work with the government on, “constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight.”
In addition, they wrote, “our colleges and universities share a commitment to serve as centers of open inquiry where, in their pursuit of truth, faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation.”
In part, they close with, “most fundamentally, America’s colleges and universities prepare an educated citizenry to sustain our democracy.”
The letter was signed by several New Jersey-based college and university presidents. These include Hubert Benitez of Saint Peter’s University, Michael Bernstein of The College of New Jersey, Gregory Dell’Omo of Rider University, Christopher Eisgruber of Princeton University, Joe Bertolino of Stockton University, Jonathan Koppell of Montclair State University, and Jonathan Holloway of Rutgers University, among others.
Monmouth University President Dr. Patrick F. Leahy was not a signatory on the letter.
The letter comes the day after Harvard University announced it was suing the Trump administration after it froze billions of dollars in federal funding to the university. The Trump administration issued the freeze after Harvard refused to submit to a list of demands to the administration, despite the demands being sent accidentally by the White House.
In addition, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) threatened to block Harvard from enrolling international students unless they comply with the administrations demands, according to “The New York Times”.
In addition to Harvard’s freeze, the Trump administration has halted $790 million in grants to Northwestern University and more than $1 billion to Cornell University, citing the university’s efforts to promote diversity and inclusion initiatives.
The letter was published in the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), which states it is, “working with our chapters and allies to defend and advance higher education as the Trump administration and many state governments are accelerating attacks on academic freedom, shared governance, and higher education as a public good.”
Monmouth University’s faculty union, better known as FAMCO, is a collective bargaining chapter of the AAUP.
Below are many of the universities whose presidents have signed on to the letter. Dozens of higher education experts signed on as well:
