US college presidents unite against Trump's higher education policies

The statement from 200 higher education presidents criticise "the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education."

More than 200 university and college presidents in a joint statement accused U.S. President Donald Trump's administration of political interference in higher education, banding together after Harvard University said the government was threatening its independence.

The statement, signed by presidents from institutions such as Princeton, Brown, Harvard, Columbia, the University of Hawaii and Connecticut State Community College, criticised what it described as "the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education."

"We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight," the statement said. "However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the statement.

Asked on Tuesday about a lawsuit filed a day earlier by Harvard accusing the Trump administration of violating the Constitution by exerting financial pressure to force changes at the university, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the government will respond in court.

"It's quite simple: if you want federal dollars, obey federal law," she said.

Harvard and other universities say they are compliant with the law, but that the government is violating federal laws governing due process over funding terminations.

Tuesday's joint statement is the latest show of opposition from U.S. higher-education leaders as the Trump administration seeks to leverage federal funding of medical and other scientific research to overhaul U.S. academia, which Trump says is gripped by antisemitic, anti-American, Marxist and "radical left" ideologies.

Fifty-seven percent, including one-third of Republicans, disagreed with the statement that "it's okay for a U.S. president to withhold funding from universities if the president doesn't agree with how the university is run," a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Monday found.

FUNDING FREEZES

On April 14, Harvard rejected numerous demands from the administration, which is seeking oversight of Harvard's student body, faculty and curriculum in an apparent effort to curb what it perceives as the university's liberal bias.

Soon after, the administration announced it was freezing $2.3 billion in federal funding to the school, most of it research grants from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The White House has said Trump wanted to ensure taxpayer dollars do not support racial discrimination or racially-motivated violence. Trump has called a pro-Palestinian student protest movement across the country after a deadly attack in October 2023 by the Palestinian group Hamas, which prompted Israel's offensive in Gaza, as anti-American and antisemitic.

The administration also threatened to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status and take away its ability to enroll foreign students.

On Monday, Harvard sued the Trump administration in federal court in Boston, saying the government's pausing or cancelling awarded grants in an attempt to "coerce and control" the country's oldest university was unlawful and an unconstitutional attack on free speech rights.

The Trump administration has said the handling of pro-Palestinian protests by leaders of Harvard, Columbia and other universities is a violation of the Civil Rights Act's Title VI, which requires that recipients of federal funding not discriminate based on race or national origin.

Harvard in its lawsuit has in turn has accused the Trump administration of violating Title VI, which requires the government to first seek voluntary compliance, and it can only end federal funding after a lengthy investigation and hearings process and a 30-day notice to Congress, which has not happened at Harvard.

Columbia University agreed to negotiations over demands similar to those made of Harvard after the Trump administration said it had terminated grants and contracts worth $400 million, mostly for medical and other scientific research. The outcome of those negotiations has not yet been announced.

The Trump administration has also threatened to withhold funding for universities over transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and has arrested and sought to deport pro-Palestinian foreign students. Several universities, including Duke University in North Carolina, have warned foreign students to avoid international travel in case they face difficulties returning to the country.

The U.S. has more than 1.1 million foreign students, accounting for 6% of the total U.S. higher education population, according to the Institute of International Education.