Latest news with #AAC&U
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oregon, Washington schools join statement against ‘overreach' by Trump administration
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – More than 200 colleges and universities are speaking out against 'government overreach and political interference' under the Trump administration, including a handful of schools in the Pacific Northwest. The statement was issued April 22 by the American Association of Colleges and Universities in response to 'ongoing actions by the Trump administration affecting higher education.' 'As leaders of America's colleges, universities, and scholarly societies, we speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education,' the letter states. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez booed during town hall in Vancouver 'We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses. We will always seek effective and fair financial practices, but we must reject the coercive use of public research funding,' the statement continues. 'America's system of higher learning is as varied as the goals and dreams of the students it serves. It includes research universities and community colleges; comprehensive universities and liberal arts colleges; public institutions and private ones; freestanding and multi-site campuses. Some institutions are designed for all students, and others are dedicated to serving particular groups. Yet, American institutions of higher learning have in common the essential freedom to determine, on academic grounds, whom to admit and what is taught, how, and by whom. 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,' AAC&U wrote. 'The price of abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education will be paid by our students and our society. On behalf of our current and future students, and all who work at and benefit from our institutions, we call for constructive engagement that improves our institutions and serves our republic,' the statement concludes. Travel + Leisure names Oregon coast hotel among best in the world As of April 25, the letter was joined by dozens of schools in the Pacific Northwest, including University of Oregon, University of Washington, Portland State University, University of Portland, Lewis & Clark College, Pacific University, Willamette University, Gonzaga University and Linfield University. KOIN 6 News reached out to Oregon State University and Washington State University asking if they planned to join the statement. This story will be updated if we receive a response. AAC&U's website notes they are still allowing other institutions to join the letter. The letter comes as the Trump administration has moved to dissolve the U.S. Department of Education, eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in schools, cut funding for Harvard and . KOIN 6 News has also reached out to the U.S. Department of Education. This story will be updated if we receive a response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sandoval signs on to letter objecting to Trump's higher ed interference
The AAC&U letter 'refers to the essential role that our colleges and universities play in our society in educating students to sustain our democracy," said former Gov. Brian Sandoval. (Photo: Richard Bednarski/Nevada Current) Former Nevada Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, who currently serves as president of the University of Nevada, Reno, is one of 435 university and college presidents and chancellors to sign on to a letter protesting the 'unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American education.' The letter from the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), which is clearly directed at President Donald Trump without mentioning him by name, opposes 'undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.' The AAC&U letter, Sandoval said via email, 'refers to the essential role that our colleges and universities play in our society in educating students to sustain our democracy, ensuring that faculty and staff have academic freedom and that our campuses in general remain places where the individual freedoms of all people are not curtailed or used as a means for punishment.' The message also 'affirms the multitude of benefits that further all segments of our world through the work that comes from public research funding,' Sandoval said. Last week, Trump froze $2.2 billion in research funding designated for Harvard University, which refused to capitulate to the president's political demands, 'including federal audits of Harvard's programs, agreements to screen international students for their beliefs, and the installation of administrators who will ensure the White House's demands are carried out,' the Harvard Crimson reported. Harvard is suing the Trump administration. And earlier this week Trump signed a slew of executive orders on education, including one that aims to 'overhaul' college accreditation. During his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to fire 'radical Left accreditors,' claiming they 'have allowed our colleges to become dominated by Marxist Maniacs and lunatics.' 'We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight,' says the AAC&U letter. 'However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses. We will always seek effective and fair financial practices, but we must reject the coercive use of public research funding.' Four Nevada institutions – UNR, the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), Nevada State University (NSU), and the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) – are members of AAC&U. As of Wednesday, NSU President DeRionne Pollard had not been asked to sign the letter, according to a spokesperson, who says Pollard is 'in the process of reviewing the public statement.' UNLV and CSN did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the Nevada System of Higher Education said the System did not entertain signing the letter, and suggested it was for individual institutions only.
Forbes
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
More Than 100 Higher Ed Leaders Sign Statement Against Fed's Overreach
More than 100 university and college presidents along with the leaders of various scholarly organization issued a statement today raising their concerns about the 'unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.' Titled 'A Call for Constructive Engagement,' the statement represents a unified outcry by current college presidents about the Trump administration's escalating battle with the nation's colleges and universities. The statement grew out of meetings that had been organized by the American Association of Colleges & Universities and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to 'to take stock of the current situation and deliberate on possibilities for a unified defense of learning and higher education.' Those actions include the withdrawal or freezing of billions of dollars in federal research grants amid the administration's allegations of campus antisemitism and other civil rights violations, the detention of hundreds of international students and the revocation of their visas, a crackdown on academic or student support programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, threats to increase the tax on private university endowment earnings, investigations of gifts from foreign donors, and demands that certain institutions change their admissions practices or academic governance. The statement makes clear that the presidents and other leaders 'are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight," but it added, "however, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses." It maintains that American institutions of higher learning 'have in common the essential freedom to determine, on academic grounds, whom to admit and what is taught, how, and by whom." They share a commitment, according to the statement, 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.' The statement has already been signed by several dozen presidents and chancellors of a wide array of institutions — public research universities, private liberal arts colleges, regional universities and community colleges. Representatives of AAC&U, the American Academy of Arts and Science, Campus Compact, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the Association of American Law Schools and Complete College America have also signed on. The statement remains open for additional signatures. 'One of the greatest strengths of American higher education is the diversity of institutional types, anchored in a common commitment to serving the public good,' said AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella, in an AAC&U press release. 'The widespread support this statement has garnered demonstrates that despite differences in our respective missions, there is a willingness to speak collectively and act in solidarity to defend the core principles of academic freedom, shared governance, and institutional autonomy foundational to America's distinctive tradition of liberal education and to our nation's historic mission of educating for democracy.' As higher education struggles to find the best way to cope with the Trump administration's actions, a new strategy seems to be emerging — collective efforts at mutual defense and institutional solidarity. For example, faculty senates at several universities in the Big Ten Conference have created a 'mutual defense compact.' Rutgers University's faculty senate's resolution urges, among other actions, that 'all participating institutions shall commit meaningful funding to a shared or distributed defense fund. This fund shall be used to provide immediate and strategic support to any member institution under direct political or legal infringement.' Included in that support, which 'participating institutions shall make available, at the request of the institution under direct political infringement,' could also involve legal representation and countersuits, strategic communications, amicus briefs, expert testimony, legislative advocacy and relevant research. Similar resolutions have been passed at Indiana University, the University of Nebraksa, and Michigan State University. Whether those resolutions will translate into effective advocacy and be joined by at least the majority of the 18 universities currently comprising the Big Ten remains an open question, but it signals that institutions are beginning to team up to resist the ongoing pressures brought by the Trump administration.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Over 100 US university presidents sign letter decrying Trump administration
More than 100 presidents of US colleges and universities have signed a statement denouncing the Trump administration's 'unprecedented government overreach and political interference' with higher education – the strongest sign yet that US educational institutions are forming a unified front against the government's extraordinary attack on their independence. The statement, published early on Tuesday by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, comes weeks into the administration's mounting campaign against higher education, and hours after Harvard University became the first school to sue the government over threats to its funding. Harvard is one of several institutions hit in recent weeks with huge funding cuts and demands they relinquish significant institutional autonomy. Related: Foreign students sue Trump officials over revoked visas as 1,000 affected The signatories come from large state schools, small liberal arts colleges and Ivy League institutions, including the presidents of Harvard, Princeton and Brown. In the statement, the university presidents, as well as the leaders of several scholarly societies say they speak with 'one voice' and call for 'constructive engagement' with the administration. 'We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight,' they write. 'However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.' Harvard's lawsuit comes after the administration announced it would freeze $2.3bn in federal funds, and Donald Trump threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status, over claims the university failed to protect Jewish students from pro-Palestinian protests. The suit and the statement, taken together, mark an increasingly muscular response from universities following what initially appeared to be a tepid approach. While some university leaders have in recent weeks criticised the administration and indicated they will not abide by its demands, the statement marks the first time presidents have spoken out collectively on the matter. The joint condemnation followed a convening of more than 100 university leaders called by the AAC&U and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences last week to 'come together to speak out at this moment of enormity', said Lynn Pasquarella, the president of the AAC&U. Pasquarella said that there was 'widespread agreement' across a variety of academic institutions about the need to take a collective stand. Related: Harvard faculty organize amid anxiety university will capitulate to Trump 'Much has been written about this flood-the-zone strategy that's being used in the current attacks on higher education, and it's a strategy designed to overwhelm campus leaders with a constant barrage of directives, executive orders, and policy announcements that make it impossible to respond to everything all at once,' she said, explaining why it has taken until now for a joint response. 'Campus leaders have had a lot to deal with over the past few months, and I think that's part of the reason, but it's also the case that they are constrained by boards, by multiple constituencies who are often asking them to do things that are at odds with one another.' The Trump administration has issued a barrage of measures aimed at universities the right has described as 'the enemy' – some under the guise of fighting alleged antisemitism on campuses and others in an explicit effort to eradicate diversity and inclusion initiatives. Billions in federal funds are under threat unless universities comply with extreme demands, such as removing academic departments from faculty control, 'auditing' the viewpoints of students and faculty, and collaborating with federal authorities as they target international students for detention and deportation. Along with its actions against Harvard, it has threatened and in some cases withheld millions more from Cornell, Northwestern, Brown, Columbia, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania. Columbia has largely accepted the administration's requirements to restore funding, including placing an academic department under outside oversight. Its president did not sign the collective statement. The measures against the schools, which are already upending academic research, undermine longstanding partnerships between the federal government and universities, and are contributing to an atmosphere of repression, the statement's signatories note. '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,' they write. Last week, Harvard University issued the strongest rebuke yet of the administration's demands, with president Alan Garber setting off a showdown with the White House by saying that the university would not 'surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights'. While Harvard's lawsuit was the first by a university, higher education associations and organisations representing faculty have filed other legal challenges over the cuts. Faculty at some universities are also organising to protect one another, with several members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, a consortium of some of the country's largest state universities, signing on to a resolution to establish a 'mutual defence compact'. At a second convening by the AAC&U on Monday some 120 university leaders also discussed what steps they may take next, including efforts to engage their broader communities and the business world to defend academic freedom. The joint statement, Pasquarella added, was just the beginning, and intended 'to signal to the public and to affirm to ourselves what's at stake here, what's at risk if this continual infringement on the academy is allowed to continue'.
The Guardian
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Over 100 US university presidents sign letter decrying Trump administration
More than 100 presidents of US colleges and universities have signed a statement denouncing the Trump administration's 'unprecedented government overreach and political interference' with higher education – the strongest sign yet that US educational institutions are forming a unified front against the government's extraordinary attack on their independence. The statement, published early on Tuesday by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, comes weeks into the administration's mounting campaign against higher education, and hours after Harvard University became the first school to sue the government over threats to its funding. Harvard is one of several institutions hit in recent weeks with huge funding cuts and demands they relinquish significant institutional autonomy. The signatories come from large state schools, small liberal arts colleges and Ivy League institutions, including the presidents of Harvard, Princeton and Brown. In the statement, the university presidents, as well as the leaders of several scholarly societies say they speak with 'one voice' and call for 'constructive engagement' with the administration. 'We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight,' they write. 'However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.' Harvard's lawsuit comes after the administration announced it would freeze $2.3bn in federal funds, and Donald Trump threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status, over claims the university failed to protect Jewish students from pro-Palestinian protests. The suit and the statement, taken together, mark an increasingly muscular response from universities following what initially appeared to be a tepid approach. While some university leaders have in recent weeks criticised the administration and indicated they will not abide by its demands, the statement marks the first time presidents have spoken out collectively on the matter. The joint condemnation followed a convening of more than 100 university leaders called by the AAC&U and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences last week to 'come together to speak out at this moment of enormity', said Lynn Pasquarella, the president of the AAC&U. Pasquarella said that there was 'widespread agreement' across a variety of academic institutions about the need to take a collective stand. 'Much has been written about this flood-the-zone strategy that's being used in the current attacks on higher education, and it's a strategy designed to overwhelm campus leaders with a constant barrage of directives, executive orders, and policy announcements that make it impossible to respond to everything all at once,' she said, explaining why it has taken until now for a joint response. 'Campus leaders have had a lot to deal with over the past few months, and I think that's part of the reason, but it's also the case that they are constrained by boards, by multiple constituencies who are often asking them to do things that are at odds with one another.' The Trump administration has issued a barrage of measures aimed at universities the right has described as 'the enemy' – some under the guise of fighting alleged antisemitism on campuses and others in an explicit effort to eradicate diversity and inclusion initiatives. Billions in federal funds are under threat unless universities comply with extreme demands, such as removing academic departments from faculty control, 'auditing' the viewpoints of students and faculty, and collaborating with federal authorities as they target international students for detention and deportation. Along with its actions against Harvard, it has threatened and in some cases withheld millions more from Cornell, Northwestern, Brown, Columbia, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania. Columbia has largely accepted the administration's requirements to restore funding, including placing an academic department under outside oversight. Its president did not sign the collective statement. The measures against the schools, which are already upending academic research, undermine longstanding partnerships between the federal government and universities, and are contributing to an atmosphere of repression, the statement's signatories note. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion '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,' they write. Last week, Harvard University issued the strongest rebuke yet of the administration's demands, with president Alan Garber setting off a showdown with the White House by saying that the university would not 'surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights'. While Harvard's lawsuit was the first by a university, higher education associations and organisations representing faculty have filed other legal challenges over the cuts. Faculty at some universities are also organising to protect one another, with several members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, a consortium of some of the country's largest state universities, signing on to a resolution to establish a 'mutual defence compact'. At a second convening by the AAC&U on Monday some 120 university leaders also discussed what steps they may take next, including efforts to engage their broader communities and the business world to defend academic freedom. The joint statement, Pasquarella added, was just the beginning, and intended 'to signal to the public and to affirm to ourselves what's at stake here, what's at risk if this continual infringement on the academy is allowed to continue'.
