In a bold and unified stand, more than 100 US academic leaders have signed a joint statement denouncing the current federal administration’s increasingly aggressive posture toward the nation’s colleges and universities. The declaration, issued on April 22, comes in response to what academic leaders describe as “unprecedented government overreach” and attempts to politicize and control the intellectual heart of American society: its institutions of higher learning.

The statement-endorsed by presidents and leaders from elite institutions including Princeton University, Brown University, the University of Hawaii, and the Connecticut State Community College system-calls for an end to undue federal interference in academic affairs. While acknowledging the role of legitimate government oversight, the signatories drew a hard line at what they see as overt political pressure that threatens the core values of academic freedom, open inquiry, and institutional independence.

This rare show of solidarity among academic leaders follows a high-profile federal lawsuit filed by Harvard University against the Trump administration. The lawsuit, brought in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, challenges what Harvard calls an “unlawful and beyond authority” freeze of federal funding. According to the university, the freeze was a retaliatory move after Harvard declined to comply with certain government demands deemed inappropriate and illegal.

“This case involves the government’s efforts to use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decision making at Harvard,” the university said in the lawsuit, as reported by........

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