File Photo/The Ithacan
President La Jerne Cornish joined with over 150 higher education institutions across the country to co-sign a statement, titled “A Call for Constructive Engagement,”It condemns the Trump administration’s, “unprecedented government overreach and political interference,” in U.S. higher education.
President La Jerne Cornish joined with over 150 higher education institutions across the country to co-sign a statement April 22 against President Donald Trump and his administration’s attacks on higher education. This is the largest sign that educational institutions are creating an allied front against the Trump administration, according to The Guardian.
Over the last four months, the Trump administration has leveraged federal funding to influence policy on college campuses. Six of the many universities under threat of losing funding are Ivy League schools, with the number of institutions threatened likely to increase. Federal cuts to colleges and universities were part of Trump’s day one promises made on the campaign trail.
The statement, titled “A Call for Constructive Engagement,” was published on The American Association of Colleges and Universities website. It condemns the Trump administration’s, “unprecedented government overreach and political interference,” in U.S. higher education, as well as saying that they will “oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.” The statement also promoted keeping campuses a place where, “faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation.”
College and university presidents signed the statement alongside Cornish and Ithaca College, including the presidents of Harvard University, Cornell University and Brown University. The statement is still open for signatures from leaders of colleges, universities and scholarly societies.
Cornish said in an email comment provided by David Maley, director of public relations, that the joint statement came from a meeting among educational and nonprofit leaders. The meeting was hosted by AAC&U and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
“It makes clear what’s at stake—for higher education and for America’s shared prosperity—in any unraveling of the longstanding, productive partnership between government and institutions of higher learning,” Cornish said in the comment. “I believe that as the president of Ithaca College, for the benefit of our IC community it is critical for my voice to be part of the collective voice speaking out.”