WSJ: prestigious US universities have formed an alliance to oppose Trump’s measures
A number of prestigious US universities have created an association to oppose the measures of US President Donald Trump in the field of education, including the termination of funding, the Wall Street Journal newspaper writes, citing sources.
“Leaders of the country’s most prestigious universities have formed a private association to oppose the Trump administration’s attacks on research funding and academic independence in the higher education system,” the publication’s material reads.
According to the newspaper, the association currently includes about 10 educational institutions, mostly from “blue” states that favor the Democratic Party in elections.
According to the publication, senior representatives of the universities included in the association are discussing what their “red lines” are in negotiations with federal authorities, as well as assessing how to respond to various demands of the Trump administration. Within the framework of the association, representatives of educational institutions have agreed that one of such “red lines” for them is to give up academic independence, namely autonomy in matters of student admission, hiring staff and organization of the educational process, the newspaper summarized.
The U.S. Department of Education announced on April 15 that it was withdrawing $2.2 billion in state funding from Harvard University after the university’s leadership publicly rejected White House demands for changes in personnel and educational policies.
On April 22, more than 100 American universities signed a letter condemning the measures of the U.S. authorities against them, in particular, the termination of funding. The heads of a number of American universities, including Harvard and Princeton Universities, as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, called on the authorities in Washington to engage constructively.