Drawing from a George Washington University Day of Action flyer shows drawing of a shoe with the words "OFF OUR CAMPUS NOW" stomping on a rat with the word "ICE" on it.

Harvard’s Pushback Was Essential but Not Nearly Enough

BY DAVID PALUMBO-LIU After Columbia University’s craven and apparently futile acceptance of all the conditions Donald Trump set before it to even start a conversation about getting its federal funding back, Harvard’s recent refusal to let the federal government insinuate itself into the core functions of higher education was a welcomed moment we should all…

Nine red pushpins are inserted askew and crowded onto a single date, the 22nd of an unspecified month, on a spiral-hinged calendar that appears in soft focus in the background.

Double Booking Against Higher Education

BY ANTHONY DAVID VERNON What is proper duty? For Chinese philosopher Xunzi, proper duty included “the way of the ritual . . . and return to order.” Double booking breaks rituals and deviates from order. It is problematic for all parties, as we all have what Xunzi refers to as “a sense of duty” or…

Brick walkway on Brown University campus is flanked by lawn, trees, benches, and bike racks with bikes. A stone arch and brick buildings appear in the background.

Letter Calls for Solidarity Against Threats to Funding for Brown

BY DENISE L. DAVIS As we at Brown University wait for the other shoe to drop, we are mobilizing in support of the university’s principles, as expressed by President Christina H. Paxson, and urging the university administration to take an uncompromising stance when it comes to preserving free inquiry, ensuring the safety of non-US citizens…

Two Important Statements on Shafik’s Testimony before Congress

POSTED BY JENNIFER RUTH AAUP President Irene Mulvey and the AAUP chapters of Barnard and Columbia released statements regarding Minouche Shafik’s testimony before the House Education and Workforce Committee. Below is Mulvey’s statement, followed by the chapters’ statement. Wednesday, before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, President Shafik threw academic freedom and Columbia…

A National Day of Action for Higher Education on April 17

On April 17, higher ed unions, AAUP chapters, and student organizations across the U.S. are coming together for a national day of action to fight back against the coordinated assault on teaching and learning, and to mobilize for a system of higher education that serves the public good. Our aim is not just to beat…

(Even More) Political Interference at George Mason University

BY THE GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY AAUP CHAPTER From donor influence scandals to Supreme Court boondoggles, there’s never a dull moment at George Mason University (GMU). Now, once again, Mason students and faculty find themselves under attack. This time, Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin and his political appointees on Mason’s Board of Visitors are coming for our…

Cropped cover of the fall 2023 issue of Academe magazine, "Confronting Legislative Attacks on Higher Education"

Editor’s Note: Confronting Legislative Attacks on Higher Education

BY MICHAEL FERGUSON Following is the editor’s introduction to the fall 2023 issue of Academe, out this week. The full table of contents for the issue is available at https://www.aaup.org/issue/fall-2023-confronting-legislative-attacks-higher-education. Students returning to New College of Florida this fall found a campus in the midst of stark transformation. More than a third of the faculty…

black and white photo of Senator Joseph McCarthy standing before microphones on a podium

On Political Interference and Discrimination at Texas A&M

BY JENNIFER RUTH Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of a DEI committee? At the University of Texas–Austin, Professor Kathleen McElroy served on the Council for Racial and Ethnic Equity and Diversity. She also wrote an op-ed for the student newspaper, The Daily Texan, entitled “The Importance of Faculty Diversity Is…

ACADEME BLOG

The blog of Academe magazine

Tag Archives: political interference