Twelve college presidents representing fourteen Minnesota institutions of higher learning have joined a public letter opposing what they call “unprecedented government overreach” into colleges and universities.
Released earlier this week, the letter says political interference is “endangering American higher education,” and notes that its signatories oppose “undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.”
The letter has been signed by dozens of school presidents across the United States and continues to receive signatures. The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) facilitated the publication of the letter.
In Minnesota, leaders from Metro State University, Gustavus Adolphus College, Carleton College, St. Catherine University, Bemidji State University, Northwest Technical College, the College of St. Scholastica, Saint Paul College, Augsburg University, Macalester College, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the University of St. Thomas, and the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University have signed the letter.
While the collection of school leaders did not specifically mention President Donald Trump or the Trump Administration in their letter, an accompanying press release says that the letter is in response to “ongoing actions by the Trump administration affecting higher education.”
Since President Trump took office earlier this year, his administration has worked to stop practices and activities on college campuses that have concerned many Americans.
Specifically, the president has issued executive orders designed to thwart campus diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices that illegally discriminate based on race. Further, the Trump administration has told federally funded schools that they will lose their federal funds if they allow males to participate in female sporting events.
Investigations of antisemitism and civil rights violations on college campuses have also become priorities for the Trump administration.
No specific federal actions were cited in the letter from school leaders, but the group did say, “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.”
The letter also asserted that institutions of higher learning have the “essential freedom to determine, on academic grounds, whom to admit and what is taught, how, and by whom.”
In their missive, the group talked about the positive impact they believe universities and colleges have on society, the economy, and individuals. Additionally, they noted that they remain open to “constructive reform” and are not against “legitimate government oversight.”
Closing their message, the college presidents issued a call for “constructive engagement that improves our institutions and serves our republic.”
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
