In a letter released on April 22, more than 260 university presidents and other higher education leaders, including Brandeis Interim President Arthur Levine, promised to oppose the “undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses” by the administration of President Donald Trump. The letter was published by the American Association of Colleges and Universities.
In the letter, the education leaders wrote “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 … 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 letter comes as the Trump administration has increased attacks on higher education in recent weeks. The Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in funding for Harvard University and threatened its tax-exempt status after Harvard refused to comply with a list of demands including the discontinuing of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, “viewpoint diversity in admissions and hiring,” ending support and recognition of certain pro-Palestine groups and the expulsion and suspension of certain students. Columbia University also found itself under attack from Trump, but agreed to the administration’s demands, including appointing a senior provost to oversee the Middle Eastern Studies department. Many universities have lost funding due to NIH grant cuts. Brandeis and other universities are currently suing to block those cuts.
In addition to Levine, other notable leaders to sign the letter include Alan Garber, the president of Harvard; Columbia University Acting President Claire Shipman; Sunil Kumar, president of Tufts University, where a graduate student faces deportation for a pro-Palestine op-ed that she co-wrote in the campus newspaper; Sally Kornbluth, President of MIT, which is joining Brandeis in the lawsuit over NIH funding; and J. Larry Jameson, president of the University of Pennsylvania, Donald Trump’s alma mater.
