Over 100 US academic leaders sign statement against US govt’s higher education policies: media report
Over 100 university, college and scholarly society presidents published a joint statement on Tuesday opposing US administration's treatment of higher education institutions, coming together to speak out after Harvard University said the administration was threatening its independence, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
The statement, signed by presidents from such institutions as Princeton, Brown, the University of Hawaii and Connecticut State Community College, criticized what it described as "the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education," according to the Reuters.
"We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses," the statement said.
"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."
"Because of these freedoms, American institutions of higher learning are essential to American prosperity and serve as productive partners with government in promoting the common good," said the statement. "Most fundamentally, America's colleges and universities prepare an educated citizenry to sustain our democracy."
"The price of abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education will be paid by our students and our society," per statement.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the statement, said the Reuters.
Reuters reported that Tuesday's joint statement is the latest show of resistance from US higher education leaders as the current US administration seeks to leverage its financial heft to overhaul academia.
A day earlier, Harvard University said Monday that it has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration's funding freeze, calling the action "unlawful and beyond the government's authority," according to Xinhua.
In a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the university said that this case involves "the government's efforts to use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decision making at Harvard," reported Xinhua.
"Over the course of the past week, the federal government has taken several actions following Harvard's refusal to comply with its illegal demands," Harvard University President Alan M. Garber wrote in a letter to members of the Harvard Community, per Xinhua.
Some Harvard faculty members have sued the Trump administration separately from the university, as have some Columbia University professors, citing grounds similar to those Harvard laid out on Monday, Reuters reported.
Harvard's lawsuit names various federal officials and agencies, including the departments of Health and Human Services, Energy and Education, Reuters reported.
Global Times
The statement, signed by presidents from such institutions as Princeton, Brown, the University of Hawaii and Connecticut State Community College, criticized what it described as "the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education," according to the Reuters.
"We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses," the statement said.
"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."
"Because of these freedoms, American institutions of higher learning are essential to American prosperity and serve as productive partners with government in promoting the common good," said the statement. "Most fundamentally, America's colleges and universities prepare an educated citizenry to sustain our democracy."
"The price of abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education will be paid by our students and our society," per statement.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the statement, said the Reuters.
Reuters reported that Tuesday's joint statement is the latest show of resistance from US higher education leaders as the current US administration seeks to leverage its financial heft to overhaul academia.
A day earlier, Harvard University said Monday that it has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration's funding freeze, calling the action "unlawful and beyond the government's authority," according to Xinhua.
In a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the university said that this case involves "the government's efforts to use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decision making at Harvard," reported Xinhua.
"Over the course of the past week, the federal government has taken several actions following Harvard's refusal to comply with its illegal demands," Harvard University President Alan M. Garber wrote in a letter to members of the Harvard Community, per Xinhua.
Some Harvard faculty members have sued the Trump administration separately from the university, as have some Columbia University professors, citing grounds similar to those Harvard laid out on Monday, Reuters reported.
Harvard's lawsuit names various federal officials and agencies, including the departments of Health and Human Services, Energy and Education, Reuters reported.
Global Times
RELATED ARTICLES
