State Department Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach sent a letter to the governing boards of American colleges and universities and their affiliates seeking their assistance to safeguard American technology and institutions to ensure national and economic security remain safe and free from foreign interference. The letter outlines the “growing threat of authoritarian influence,” and the efforts the administration has taken to: ensure academic freedom; recognize human rights violations in the People’s Republic of China; protect university endowments; safeguard intellectual property; and otherwise protect academic freedom from the threat of authoritarianism. The letter also asks colleges and universities to critically examine the activities of Confucius Institutes on their campus and divest from Chinese holdings in their endowments.