College presidents, including Penn’s Jameson, sign statement critical of Trump administration’s ‘undue government intrusion’
Villanova, Temple, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr also signed the statement speaking out against the Trump administration's policies on higher education.
University of Pennsylvania president J. Larry Jameson on Tuesday joined more than 250 college presidents and other higher education leaders around the country who penned a statement critical of “undue government intrusion” into their operations.
The statement from the American Association of Colleges and Universities called for “constructive engagement” rather than “coercive” strategies employed by President Donald Trump’s administration, including withholding billions in funding from the institutions.
The letter comes a week after Harvard University rejected demands made by the Trump administration, which then withheld more than $2 billion in funding from the Ivy League university and asked the IRS to take away its tax-exempt status. The administration had asked Harvard to eliminate diversity programs, institute merit-based hiring and admissions, and change disciplinary practices. Harvard has sued the Trump administration.
“We speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education,” the presidents who signed onto Tuesday’s letter wrote. “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.”
American colleges, they wrote, “have in common the essential freedom to determine, on academic grounds, whom to admit and what is taught, how, and by whom.
“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.”
Other local colleges whose presidents signed include Princeton, Bryn Mawr, Villanova, Haverford, Swarthmore, Temple, Ursinus, St. Joseph’s, Bucknell, Franklin and Marshall, Susquehanna, Dickinson, Muhlenberg, Cedar Crest, Lafayette, DeSales, Rutgers, Stockton University, Montclair State, the College of New Jersey, and Rider.
Some large local colleges that apparently had not signed on so far include Drexel, Pennsylvania State University, La Salle, Widener, Rowan, and West Chester.
Widener president Stacey Robertson “is taking some time to consult with her board and other constituencies before responding to the AACU’s call,” said a university spokesperson.
Penn State said in a statement: “While we didn’t sign on to this particular message, there are many ways our administration is continuing to advocate for the critical teaching and research impact made by Penn State and Penn Staters,” noting its collaboration with other groups, including the American Council on Education. “We will continue to be advocates for the role higher education plays in advancing knowledge and improving people’s lives.”
The association said it is continuing to accept signatures.
Earlier this month, a group of former college presidents also in a letter called on the Trump administration “to end the destructive attacks on colleges and universities.”
Some former local presidents also signed on to that letter, including Penn’s Amy Gutmann, as well as former leaders of Haverford and Widener.
The Trump administration last month paused $175 million in federal funding to Penn because it allowed transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete on the women’s team in 2021-22. The administration also is cutting university funding from the National Institutes of Health, which could cost Penn $250 million.
Other colleges also are seeing cuts. Temple earlier this month said it had received 14 stop-work orders or terminations of federal grants totaling $3 million.