In the past week, Donald Trump has made headlines with a series of controversial actions targeting prestigious universities, particularly Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania. If optics isn’t enough, the administration has suspended hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants. This extreme measure strikes at what they describe as the “antisemitic propaganda” present at colleges and universities. Yet as these innovations take shape, they’ve sparked some of the most dreaded debates—a panoply of boogeymen—regarding the future of academic institutions in America.
The Trump administration ordered federal agencies to look at more than $100 million worth of contracts given to Harvard. They’re looking for other vendors, too, wherever they can make that work. This disgusting measure is on top of a huge freeze on over $3 billion in medical research grants. It puts a stop to foreign student enrollments at Harvard. Critics argue that these steps amount to a frontal assault on one of America’s most prestigious and wealthy institutions of higher education.
Trump’s rhetoric has been equally strong. He stated, “Harvard is treating our country with great disrespect, and all they’re doing is getting in deeper and deeper and deeper.” The president has claimed that universities are not serving their purpose, asserting, “Universities are not about the pursuit of knowledge; they’re about the forceful pushing of a left-wing worldview.” Taken together, these comments play beautifully to the political base of his administration, much of which supports his politically motivated crusade against elite colleges.
The impact of this double-edged sword — both the good and the bad — has drawn praise and concern from educators and policymakers. Greg Wolfson, the president of the American Association of University Professors, expressed his concerns. He is especially worried about the potential long-term impacts of these temporary measures. He noted, “They’re doing multiple things every single day, some of those things are sneaking through,” highlighting the chaotic nature of the administration’s approach. Wolfson warned that if such measures are enforced, “more importantly, they’re changing the culture. They’re changing people.”
Moreover, education advocates have raised questions about the effectiveness of Trump’s approach. Education policy analyst Rick Hess agrees and thinks a more strategic approach to restructuring can produce better outcomes. Instead, he contends that today’s scattershot tactics do more harm than good. He commented, “The fact that we have multiracial, multicultural, multinational universities is a boon to our universities,” emphasizing the importance of diversity in higher education.
Trump’s presidency has tried to make it harder for foreign students to get visas, in an effort to study at these institutions. This effort hit a major hurdle when a federal judge put the attempt on hold indefinitely. In response to these ongoing threats, Harvard has taken legal action, suing to prevent the termination of more than $2.2 billion in federal grants.
The political landscape around all of these issues is still very dicey. According to his own party’s opinion polls, that number is 49% of non-college graduates disapproving of Trump’s performance in office versus 47% approving. This rift illustrates that Trump’s base is hugely supportive of his undertakings to attack educational institutions serving as elites. Yet, there is widespread anger at his methods.
Alan Garber, a Harvard official, defended the university’s mission by stating, “Harvard is a very old institution, much older than the country,” underscoring its longstanding commitment to service and innovation. He added, “As long as there has been a United States of America, Harvard has thought that its role is to serve the nation.”
Whatever the immediate action taken, the implications for American higher education are deep and wide ranging. Unfortunately, state and federal policies have recently increased the pressure on campuses to clamp down on speech. This has raised alarm bells about the threats to academic freedom and institutional integrity.
“When words amplify distress and pain, I don’t know how you could feel anything but regret.” – Claudine Gay