American Association of Colleges and Universities
American Association of Colleges and Universities
More than 440 college presidents and other officials signed a letter Tuesday protesting the “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” that higher education is facing under the Trump administration.
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As leaders of America’s colleges, universities, and scholarly societies, we speak with one voice against 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. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses. We will always seek effective and fair financial practices, but we must reject the coercive use of public research funding.
America’s system of higher learning is as varied as the goals and dreams of the students it serves. It includes research universities and community colleges; comprehensive universities and liberal arts colleges; public institutions and private ones; freestanding and multi-site campuses. Some institutions are designed for all students, and others are dedicated to serving particular groups. Yet, American institutions of higher learning 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.
Because of these freedoms, American institutions of higher learning are essential to American prosperity and serve as productive partners with government in promoting the common good. Colleges and universities are engines of opportunity and mobility, anchor institutions that contribute to economic and cultural vitality regionally and in our local communities. They foster creativity and innovation, provide human resources to meet the fast-changing demands of our dynamic workforce, and are themselves major employers. They nurture the scholarly pursuits that ensure America’s leadership in research, and many provide healthcare and other essential services. Most fundamentally, America’s colleges and universities prepare an educated citizenry to sustain our democracy.
The price of abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education will be paid by our students and our society. On behalf of our current and future students, and all who work at and benefit from our institutions, we call for constructive engagement that improves our institutions and serves our republic.
Signed,
Andrés Acebo, Interim President, New Jersey City University
Kenneth Adams, President, LaGuardia Community College
Kimo Ah Yun, President, Marquette University
Jonathan Alger, President, American University
Barbara K. Altmann, President, Franklin & Marshall College
Carmen Twillie Ambar, President, Oberlin College
Suzanne Ames, President, Peninsula College
Michelle J. Anderson, President, Brooklyn College
James J. Annarelli, President, Eckerd College
Michael D. Anthony, President, Prairie State College
Joseph E. Aoun, President, Northeastern University
Virginia "Ginny" Arthur, President, Metro State University
Valerie Sheares Ashby, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Michael Avaltroni, President, Fairleigh Dickinson University
Lynn Babington, President, Chaminade University of Honolulu
Thomas R. Bailey, President, Teachers College, Columbia University
Andrew W. Barnes, President, Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
Denise A. Battles, President, SUNY Geneseo
Ian Baucom, Incoming President, Middlebury College
Erika D. Beck, President, California State University, Northridge
Allan Belton, President, Pacific Lutheran University
Hubert Benitez, President, Saint Peter's University
Joanne Berger-Sweeney, President, Trinity College (CT)
Rebecca M. Bergman, President, Gustavus Adolphus College
Jay M. Bernhardt, President, Emerson College
Michael A. Bernstein, President, The College of New Jersey
Joe Bertolino, President, Stockton University
Audrey Bilger, President, Reed College
James Birge, President, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Erik J. Bitterbaum, President, SUNY Cortland
Robert E. Bohrer II, President, Hiram College
Sarah Bolton, President, Whitman College
Mary H. Bonderoff, President, SUNY Delhi
Leon Botstein, President, Bard College
Eric Boynton, President, Beloit College
Vincent Boudreau, President, The City College of the City University of New York
Lola W. Brabham, President, The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities
Corey Bradford, Interim President, Governors State University
Elizabeth H. Bradley, President, Vassar College
John C. Bravman, President, Bucknell University
Frances Bronet, President, Pratt Institute
Brian Bruess, President, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
Joshua C. Brumberg, President, The Graduate Center, CUNY
Andrew Burton-Jones, President, Association for Information Systems (AIS)
Adam Bush, President, College Unbound
Alison Byerly, President, Carleton College
Wendy Cadge, President and Professor of Sociology, Bryn Mawr College
Christopher Callahan, President, University of the Pacific
Nancy Cantor, President, Hunter College CUNY
Alberto Jose Cardelle, President, SUNY Oneonta
Seamus Carey, President, Iona University
John Carmichael, President, The Evergreen State College
Laurie A. Carter, President, Lawrence University
Brian W. Casey, President, Colgate University
Ana Mari Cauce, Professor and President, University of Washington
Andrea Chapdelaine, President, Connecticut College
Julie Chen, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Thom D. Chesney, President, Southwestern College (NM)
E. LaBrent Chrite, President, Bentley University
Christina Clark, President, La Roche University
Frederick W. Clark, President, Bridgewater State University
Daisy Cocco De Filippis, President, Hostos Community College/CUNY
Bryan F. Coker, President, Maryville College
Ronald B. Cole, President, Allegheny College
Soraya Coley, President, Cal Poly Pomona
Jennifer Collins, President, Rhodes College
Michael F. Collins, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
John Comerford, President, Otterbein University
Katie Conboy, President, Saint Mary's College (IN)
Marc C. Conner, President, Skidmore College
Joy Connolly, President, American Council of Learned Societies
Jane C. Conoley, President, California State University, Long Beach
Melanie Corn, President, Columbus College of Art & Design
La Jerne Terry Cornish, President, Ithaca College
Grant Cornwell, President, Rollins College
Jennifer Coyle, President, Pacific University
Isiaah Crawford, President, University of Puget Sound
Ann E. Cudd, President, Portland State University
Lindsay Currie, CEO, Council on Undergraduate Research
Janine Davidson, President, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Fernando Delgado, President, Lehman College
Gregory G. Dell'Omo, President, Rider University
Nora Demleitner, President, St. John's College
Rev. John F. Denning, C.S.C., President, Stonehill College
Kent Devereaux, President, Goucher College
Mantosh Dewan, President, SUNY Upstate Medical University
Jim Dlugos, Interim President, Landmark College
Bethami Dobkin, President, Westminster University
Peter Donohue, OSA, President, Villanova University
Susan M. Donovan, President, Bellarmine University
Tawny Dotson, President, Yuba College
Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., President, University of Notre Dame
Suri Duitch, President, Kingsborough Community College
Harry Dumay, President, Elms College
Bonita R. Durand, Interim President, Buffalo State University SUNY
Raj Echambadi, President, Illinois Institute of Technology
Pam Eddinger, President, Bunker Hill Community College
Christopher L. Eisgruber, President, Princeton University
Michael A. Elliott, President, Amherst College
Alexander Enyedi, President, SUNY Plattsburgh
Kristin G. Esterberg, Chancellor, University of Washington Bothell
Arthur C. Evans, Jr., Chief Executive Officer/Executive Vice President, American Psychological Association
Marcheta P. Evans, President, St. Catherine University
Jane Fernandes, President, Antioch College
Roland Fernandes, General Secretary, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
Damian J. Fernandez, President, Warren Wilson College
David Fike, President, Golden Gate University
David Fithian, President, Clark University
Michael L. Frandsen, President, Wittenberg University
Lisa C. Freeman, President, Northern Illinois University
Julio Frenk, Chancellor, UCLA
John Fry, President, Temple University
Montserrat Fuentes, President, St. Edward's University
Mark A. Fuller, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Robert Gaines, Acting President, Pomona College
Lawrence Galizio, President and CEO, Community College League of California
James Gandre, President, Manhattan School of Music
Rev. Michael Garanzini, S.J., President, Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
Alan M. Garber, President, Harvard University
Jay D. Gatrell, President, Eastern Illinois University
Michael H. Gavin, President, Delta College
Mark D. Gearan, President, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Robert Gervasi, President, Mount Saint Mary College
Melissa Gilliam, President, Boston University
Howard Gillman, Chancellor, University of California, Irvine
Jeff Gingerich, President, St. Bonaventure University
Mark R. Ginsberg, President, Towson University
Lane A. Glenn, President, Northern Essex Community College
Cindy Gnadinger, President, Carroll University
Carole Goldsmith, Chancellor, State Center Community College District
Jorge G. Gonzalez, President, Kalamazoo College
Janet L. Gooch, Chancellor, University of Illinois Springfield
Ellen M. Granberg, President, The George Washington University
Mary K. Grant, President, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Domenico Grasso, Chancellor, University of Michigan-Dearborn
Jonathan D. Green, President, Susquehanna University
David A. Greene, President, Colby College
James J. Greenfield, OSFS, President, DeSales University
James Grossman, Executive Director, American Historical Association
Robert M. Groves, Interim President, Georgetown University
William R. Groves, Chancellor, Antioch University
Jeremy Haefner, Chancellor, University of Denver
Merodie Hancock, President, Thomas Edison State University
Robyn Hannigan, President, Ursinus College
Yoshiko Harden, President, Renton Technical College
David Harker, Executive Director, Partners for Campus-Community Engagement (PCCE)
Kathleen E. Harring, President, Muhlenberg College
Anne F. Harris, President, Grinnell College
David Harris, President, Union College
James T. Harris, President, University of San Diego
Marjorie Hass, President, Council of Independent Colleges
Susan Hasseler, President, Muskingum University
Antoinette Hays, President, Regis College
Peggy Heinrich, President, Elgin Community College
Richard J. Helldobler, President, William Paterson University
Daniel S. Hendrickson, S.J., President, Creighton University
Wendy Hensel, President, University of Hawaii
James Herbert, President, University of New England
Alejandro (Alex) Hernandez, President, Champlain College
Chad Hickox, President, Walla Walla Community College
Doug Hicks, President, Davidson College
Mary Dana Hinton, President, Hollins University
Donna Hodge, President, Fitchburg State University
John L. Hoffman, President, Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College
Danielle R. Holley, President, Mount Holyoke College
Jonathan Holloway, President, Rutgers University
Robin Holmes-Sullivan, President, Lewis & Clark College
Jessica Howard, President/CEO, Chemeketa Community College
David C. Howse, President, California College of the Arts
Lily S. Hsu, President, Laboure College of Healthcare
Robert H. Huntington, President, Heidelberg University
Nicole Hurd, President, Lafayette College
Elaine Ikeda, Executive Director, LEAD California
Wolde-Ab Isaac, Chancellor, Riverside Community College District
Karim Ismaili, President, Eastern Connecticut State University
Farnam Jahanian, President, Carnegie Mellon University
J. Larry Jameson, President, University of Pennsylvania
Bruce Jarrell, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Lisa Jasinski, President, Associated Colleges of the Midwest
Jonathan Jefferson, President, Roxbury Community College
Anthony L. Jenkins, President, Coppin State University
Garry W. Jenkins, President, Bates College
Larry D. Johnson, Jr., President, Stella & Charles Guttman Community College
Paula A. Johnson, President, Wellesley College
Rebecca Johnson, Interim President, Linfield University
John E. Jones III, President, Dickinson College
Robert J. Jones, Chancellor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Katrina Bell Jordan, President, Northeastern Illinois University
Tuajuanda C. Jordan, President, St. Mary's College of Maryland
Cristle Collins Judd, President, Sarah Lawrence College
David L. Kaufman, President, Capital University
Colleen Perry Keith, President, Goldey-Beacom College
Marisa Kelly, President, Suffolk University
Robert D. Kelly, President, University of Portland
Pradeep K. Khosla, Chancellor, University of California San Diego
Julie Johnson Kidd, President, Endeavor Foundation
Timothy Killeen, President, University of Illinois System
Walter M. Kimbrough, Interim President, Talladega College
Emily Kirkpatrick, Executive Director and CEO, National Council of Teachers of English
Heather Kirkpatrick, President & CEO, Alder Graduate School of Education
Erica Kohl-Arenas, Faculty Director, Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life
Jonathan Koppell, President, Montclair State University
Sally Kornbluth, President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Julie Kornfeld, President, Kenyon College
Michael I. Kotlikoff, President, Cornell University
Paula Krebs, Executive Director, Modern Language Association
Robert D. Krebs, Interim President, Lake Forest College
Sunil Kumar, President, Tufts University
Susan Lamb, President, Diablo Valley College
Lee D. Lambert, Chancellor, Foothill-De Anza Community College District
Sheila Edwards Lange, Chancellor, University of Washington Tacoma
Cynthia Larive, Chancellor, University of California, Santa Cruz
Bobbie Laur, President, Campus Compact
Frederick M. Lawrence, Secretary and CEO, Phi Beta Kappa Society
William P. Leahy, SJ, President, Boston College
Linda M. LeMura, President, Le Moyne College
Bethany Letiecq, President, National Council on Family Relations
Arthur Levine, Interim President, Brandeis University
Charles G. Lief, President, Naropa University
Richard P. Lifton, President, The Rockefeller University
Teik Lim, President, New Jersey Institute of Technology
James M. Limbaugh, President, West Los Angeles College
Hilary L. Link, President, Drew University
Lisa A. Lori, President, Marywood University
Timothy G. Lynch, President, College of Staten Island, CUNY
Patricia A. Lynott, President, Rockford University
Richard Lyons, Chancellor, University of California Berkeley
Heidi Macpherson, President, SUNY Brockport
John Maduko, President, Connecticut State Community College
Joanne Mahoney, President, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Lynn Mahoney, President, San Francisco State University
Daniel Mahony, President, Southern Illinois University
Maud S. Mandel, President, Williams College
Sarah C. Mangelsdorf, President, University of Rochester
Christine Mangino, President, Queensborough Community College
Andrew P. Manion, President, Edgewood College
Amy Marcus-Newhall, President, Scripps College
Joseph Marina, SJ, President, The University of Scranton
Earl F. Martin III, President, Drake University
Lizbeth Martin, President, Notre Dame de Namur University
Karol Mason, President, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Felix V. Matos-Rodriguez, Chancellor, City University of New York (CUNY)
Gary S. May, Chancellor, University of California, Davis
Anne E. McCall, President, The College of Wooster
Cheryl McConnell, President, Saint Joseph's University
Mark McCormick, President, Middlesex College
Richard L. McCormick, Interim President, Stony Brook University
Thayne M. McCulloh, President, Gonzaga University
Barbara McDonald, President, The College of St. Scholastica
Michael McDonald, President, Great Lakes Colleges Association
C. Andrew McGadney, President, Knox College
James McGrath, President and Dean, Cooley Law School
Patricia McGuire, President, Trinity Washington University
Maurie McInnis, President, Yale University
Shari McMahan, President, Eastern Washington University
Elizabeth M. Meade, President, Cedar Crest College
Marty Meehan, President, University of Massachusetts
Mojdeh Mehdizadeh, Chancellor, Contra Costa Community College District
Mildred A. Mihlon, President, Felician University
Scott D. Miller, President, Virginia Wesleyan University
Marie Lynn Miranda, Chancellor, University of Illinois Chicago
Jennifer Mnookin, Chancellor, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Robert Mohrbacher, President, Centralia College
Chris Moody, Executive Director, ACPA-College Student Educators International
Tomas Morales, President, California State University San Bernardino
Milton Moreland, President, Centre College
Kathryn Morris, President, St. Lawrence University
John R. Mosby, President, Highline College
Ross Mugler, Board Chair and Acting President and CEO, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges
Juan S. Munoz, Chancellor, University of California Merced\
David C. Munson Jr., President, Rochester Institute of Technology
Anthony E. Munroe, President, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY
Eric Murray, President, Cascadia College
Kathleen Murray, Acting/Interim President, Hamline University
Daniel J. Myers, President, Misericordia University
Lizette Navarette, President, Woodland Community College
Harriet B. Nembhard, President, Harvey Mudd College
Frank Neville, President, Millsaps College
Krista L. Newkirk, President, University of Redlands
Ellen Neufeldt, President, California State University San Marcos
Nancy S. Niemi, President, Framingham State University
Stefanie D. Niles, President, Cottey College
Cheryl L. Nixon, President, Berea College
Deborah Obalil, President and Executive Director, Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design
Maureen O'Connor, President, Palo Alto University
Judy Olian, President, Quinnipiac University
Claire Oliveros, President, Riverside City College
Santa J. Ono, President, University of Michigan
Douglas B. Palmer, President, Siena Heights University
Thomas A. Parham, President, California State University-Dominguez Hills
Micaela S. Parker, Founder and Executive Director, Academic Data Science Alliance
Robyn Parker, Interim President, Saybrook University
Marc Parlange, President, University of Rhode Island
Amy Parsons, President, Colorado State University
Lynn Pasquerella, President, American Association of Colleges and Universities
Laurie L. Patton, President, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Beth Paul, President, Nazareth University
Christina Paxson, President, Brown University
Rob Pearigen, Vice-Chancellor and President, University of the South
J. Michael Pearson, Executive Director, Mathematical Association of America
Sheahon Zenger, President, Illinois Wesleyan University
Mark Zupan, President, Alfred University
We continue to accept signatures from current leaders of colleges, universities, and scholarly societies. Last updated at 3:00 p.m. ET on April 24, 2025. Currently, there are 443 signatures.
American Association of Colleges and Universities
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