The Trump administration recently intensified its destructive and illegal attacks against the main freedoms of American colleges and universities, which we called it to arrest (FortuneApril 8). Requests published at Harvard University (in a Letter of April 11), followed by freezing of $ 2.2 billion in federal research funds as well as threats to the exempt status of Harvard tax, raising any less than the freedom of all colleges and universities to admit students, hire teachers and governing themselves regularly with law, the first amendment, title VI of the law on civil rights and the long -standing principles of academic freedom. As current and former presidents of university institutions, we strongly support Harvard president, Alan Garber, who rejected the requests for these reasons while the Trump administration threatens to demand control of many other schools. Just over three kilometers from Harvard Square is the Boston Tea Party site where, in 1773, the American patriots fought the tyranny of the government.
When the Trump Administration Federal Conditions grants and contracts universities on these requests, it threatens all Americans. Higher education is the greatest source of American global competitiveness, cultural enrichment and learning. By associating with the federal government for decades, American universities have made vital discoveries and increased the prosperity, security, security and creativity of our country. When the Trump administration insists on the conformity of anyone in probable and unconstitutional conditions, it threatens the freedom of each of the arbitrary rule. When he insists on controlling the admission of students, the hiring of teachers and the governance of a university, he also threatens a main source of the opportunity and the economic prosperity of all Americans. We all know about Martin Neimoller’s haunting lamentationThis authoritarian foray does not end with Harvard.
Authors:
Edward Ayers, University of Richmond (Virginia)
Kimberly Benston, Haverford College (Pennsylvania)
Katherine Bergeron, Connecticut College (Connecticut)
Henry Bienen, Northwestern University (Illinois)
Lee Bollinger, Columbia University (New York), University of Michigan (Michigan)
Phil Boroughs, SJ, College of the Holy Cross (Massachusetts)
William Brody, Salk Institute, Johns Hopkins University (Maryland)
Robert Brown, University of Boston (Massachusetts)
Alison Byerly, Carleton College (Minnesota)
Albert Carnesale, University of California – Los Angeles (California)
Carol T. Christ, University of California – Berkeley (California)
Mary Sue Coleman, University of Michigan (Michigan), Iowa University (Iowa)
Ron Crutcher, Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Nicholas Dirks, University of California – Berkeley (California)
Adam Falk, Williams College (Massachusetts)
Jonathan Fanton, The New School (New York)
Drew Gilpin Faust, Harvard University (Massachusetts)
Wayne Ai Frederick, Howard University (Washington DC)
Stephen Friedman, Pace University (New York)
Amy Gutmann, University of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania)
Phil Hanlon, Dartmouth College (New Hampshire)
Robert Head, Rockford University (Illinois)
Mark A. Heckler, Valparaiso University (Indiana)
John Hennessy, University of Stanford (California)
Catharine Bond Hill, Vassar College (New York)
Jonathan Holloway, Rutgers University (New Jersey)
Freeman Hrabowski, Maryland University, Baltimore County (Maryland)
Nan Keohane, Duke University (North Carolina), Wellesley College (Massachusetts)
Brit Kirwan, University System of Maryland (Maryland)
Bernie Machen, University of Florida (Florida)
Gail mellow, Laguardia Community College – City University of New York (New York)
Pat McGuire, Trinity Washington University (Washington DC)
Anthony Monaco, Tofts University (Massachusetts)
Richard Morrill, Center College (Kentucky)
Mr. Duane Nellis, Ohio University (Ohio), Texas Tech University (Texas), Idaho University (Idaho)
Lynn Pasquerella, Mount Holyoke College (Massachusetts)
Laurie Patton, Middlebury College (Vermont)
Susan Pose, Hofstra University (New York)
Steven Poskanzer, Carleton College (Minnesota)
Gregory Prince, Hampshire College (Massachusetts)
Stuart Rabinowitz, Hofstra University (New York)
L. Rafael Reif, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Massachusetts)
Kevin Reilly, University of Wisconsin (Wisconsin)
L. Song Richardson, Colorado College (Colorado)
Michael S. Roth, Wesleyan University (Connecticut)
George Rupp, Rice University (Texas), Columbia University (New York)
Leonard A. Schlesinger, Babson College (Massachusetts)
Mark Schlissel, University of Michigan (Michigan)
Jake Schrum, Emory & Henry College (Virginie), Southwestern University (Texas), Texas Wesleyan University (Texas)
Allen Sessoms, Queens College, City University of New York (New York), Delaware State University (Delaware), University of the District of Columbia (Washington DC)
Donna Shalala, University of Miami (Florida), University of Wisconsin-Madison (Wisconsin), Hunter College of the City University of New York (New York)
Robert Sternberg, Wyoming University (Wyoming)
Beverly Daniel Tatum, Spelman College (Georgia)
Lara Tiedens, Scripps College (California)
Steve Trachtenberg, George Washington University (Washington DC)
Laura Walker, Bennington College (Vermont)
Daniel H. Weiss, Haverford College (Pennsylvania), Lafayette College (Pennsylvania)
Julie Wollman, Widener University (Pennsylvania)
Meredith Woo, Sweet Briar College (Virginie)
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