BY JENNIFER LUNDQUIST AND THE STAND TOGETHER FOR HIGHER ED LEADERSHIP TEAM

I, along with the undersigned leaders of Stand Together for Higher Ed, a national faculty-led movement to defend US higher education, are deeply concerned by reports that Harvard University is engaged in negotiations with the Trump administration to settle ongoing legal disputes. While negotiation is not inherently wrong, in this case it risks setting a dangerous precedent for faculty governance, academic freedom, and institutional autonomy across higher education. All eyes have been on Harvard’s lawsuit because its outcome will shape these values for the rest of us.

Recent news indicates that the Trump administration anticipates reaching a deal with Harvard after it had cut off billions of dollars in grants; sought intervention into institutional hiring, admissions, and disciplinary policies; and attempted to prevent the university from admitting international students. Harvard’s lawsuit in response to these unprecedented attacks was a spiritual shot in the arm for colleges and universities across the nation. The academic community rejoiced at this show of resistance in the name of democracy and academic freedom—especially on the heels of Columbia’s acquiescence to the Trump administration’s undemocratic demands. This may be short-lived.

As highlighted by Professors Ryan D. Enos and Steven Levitsky in their recent Harvard Crimson op-ed, “This Isn’t Negotiation. It’s Authoritarian Extortion,” the administration’s actions constitute a blatant violation of the First Amendment. These measures are not mere policy disagreements; they represent an attempt to coerce an independent institution into aligning with governmental ideology, undermining the foundational principles of democracy and academic independence.

The implications of Harvard’s potential compromises extend far beyond its campus. Enos and Levitsky note that a successful coercion of Harvard could serve as “a blueprint for the rest of higher education,” emboldening further governmental overreach into academic institutions nationwide that have much less power than Harvard to resist.

Recent developments indicate that the federal government is already escalating attacks beyond elite private institutions like Harvard to public institutions—a continuation of what southern and midwestern legislatures began years ago with their state schools. The Trump administration is using the Department of Justice to target leading public universities by driving out the University of Virginia’s president and threatening the University of California system for its hiring practices.

This shift signals that no institution—public or private, red or blue—is beyond reach. The administration’s strategy of coercion and overreach threatens the entire landscape of US higher education, jeopardizing not only institutional autonomy and academic freedom but also the public mission of our universities as engines of social mobility, innovation, and democratic renewal. In other words, what the Trump administration is doing to Harvard isn’t just political retaliation—it’s a calculated move that threatens the very truth universities are built to protect.

We urge Harvard’s leadership to uphold its commitment to academic freedom and shared governance by resisting politically motivated pressures. It is a heavy responsibility to bear, but the wellbeing of our entire university ecosystem—its people, its principles, and its role in the search for knowledge—right now rests with Harvard. The outcome of this situation will resonate throughout the academic community.

We hope fervently that Harvard will continue to be a leader, staying firm in its defense of academic freedom so that all of us across higher education are empowered to stand with Harvard in solidarity. We must all join Harvard in this fight.

The national team of Stand Together for Higher Ed is made up of  Jennifer Lundquist, Kathy Roberts Forde, Kumble Subbaswamy, Paul Boxer. Sarah Chinn, Alison Gash, Janice Irvine, Daniel Laurison, Mark Pachucki, David Salas-de la Cruz, Morgan Woroner, and Michael Yarbrough.