By Kritika Agarwal
On April 22, AAU President Barbara R. Snyder joined higher education leaders from around the nation in issuing a statement calling for “constructive engagement” in response to “the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.”
The statement was led by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), which called it a response “to ongoing actions by the Trump administration affecting higher education.” More than 400 higher education leaders, including 35 presidents and chancellors of AAU member institutions, have signed the statement thus far.
The statement focused on what America would lose if the government impinges on academic freedom and free inquiry and undermines universities’ and academics’ ability to conduct research on behalf of the American people “without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation.” The leaders emphasized that they “are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight … but we must reject the coercive use of public research funding.”
The leaders also recounted the vast contributions colleges and universities have made to the nation. Colleges and universities, they noted, “are engines of opportunity and mobility, anchor institutions that contribute to economic and cultural vitality regionally and in our local communities” and they “nurture the scholarly pursuits that ensure America’s leadership in research.”
The statement warned that “the price of abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education will be paid by our students and our society.” It continued: “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.”
Kritika Agarwal is senior editorial officer at AAU.