COLUMBUS, Ohio – Nearly 200 presidents of colleges and universities, including seven in Ohio, signed a letter objecting to the “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” emanating from President Donald Trump’s new administration.
The letter, published by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, comes amid an escalating fight between American higher education and a president threatening to defund several elite universities unless they change their policies on free speech and political demonstration on campus.
“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight,” the letter, released Tuesday, states. “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.”
The release of the letter comes after Harvard University sued the federal administration, which had threatened to eliminate billions in federal funding unless it changed its policies around plagiarism, anti-Semitism, reporting alleged misconduct of international students to the federal government, and others. Trump has made similar demands of other colleges including Princeton, Columbia and Northwestern University.
Buckeye State signatories to the letter released Tuesday include:
• Carmen Twillie Ambar, President, Oberlin College
• John Comerford, President, Otterbein University
• David L. Kaufman, President, Capital University
• Julie Kornfeld, President, Kenyon College
• Matthew P. vandenBerg, President, Ohio Wesleyan University
• Jane Fernandes, President, Antioch College
• Adam Weinberg, President, Denison University
The list of signatories is generally limited to smaller, liberal arts schools. But some major state universities signed on, perhaps assuming political risk from a retaliatory administration. The universities of Washington, Hawaii, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Illinois State, plus Ivy Leagues like Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Brown, and Columbia all signed on.
But Ohio’s biggest schools – Ohio State University, Ohio University, Kent State, and the University of Cincinnati – refrained from signing as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Trump Administration already has initiated investigations at some Ohio schools. Both Ohio State and the University of Cincinnati face U.S. Department of Education investigations over anti-Semitism on campus and for their participation in a program that encourages diverse people to get doctoral degrees in business.
Jake Zuckerman covers state politics and policy for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.