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Scott Smallwood

@scottsmallwood.com
307 followers 690 following 43 posts

Co-founder & CEO, Open Campus www.opencampusmedia.org

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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Texas Tribune @texastribune.org · 20/02/2026
UNT officials said international graduate enrollment fell from about 6,200 students in fall 2024 to just under 3,400 in fall 2025. International students typically pay significantly higher tuition than Texas residents, making their enrollment decline especially costly for public universities.
texastribune.org
UNT blames shortfall on loss of international students, cuts
Travel restrictions and sharper federal attention are dissuading foreign students from attending U.S. colleges, advocates say, hitting the Denton university harder than most.
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Breaking: A federal judge in Massachusetts has blocked the Trump administration's effort to shutter much of the Education Department. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Defendants do acknowledge, as they must, that the Department cannot be shut down without Congress's approval, yet they simultaneously claim that their legislative goals
(obtaining Congressional approval to shut down the Department) are distinct from their
administrative goals (improving efficiency). There is nothing in the record to support these
contradictory positions. Not only is there no evidence that Defendants are pursuing a "legislative goal" or otherwise working with Congress to reach a resolution, but there is also no evidence that the RIF has actually made the Department more efficient. Rather, the record is replete with
evidence of the opposite. Consolidated Plaintiffs have demonstrated that the Department will not
be able to carry out its statutory functions— and in some cases, is already unable to do so-and Defendants have proffered no evidence to the contrary. Defendants fail to understand Plaintiffs claims which is evident by their attempt to frame this case as an unlawful terminations
employment action. As fully explained below, a preliminary injunction is warranted to return the
Department to the status quo such that it can comply with its statutory obligations.
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Evan Torner @guyintheblackhat.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
There is a false dichotomy drawn between "the ivory tower" and "the real world," and I'm here to report that in a post-industrial society, your real-world economy absolutely hinges on the university. University towns are factory towns. Universities drive economic activity, not the other way around.
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Damn it’s like U Michigan had a Kim Philby type situation on its hands! Ono comes in from the cold in this oped. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
insidehighered.com
Why I Chose University of Florida, by Santa Ono (opinion)
Santa J. Ono explains why he’s pursuing the University of Florida presidency.
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Claire Rafford @clairerafford.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Butler pres signs letter criticizing Trump administration’s ‘overreach’ He was one of just 3 Indiana college leaders to sign, incl. Rev. Dowd at Notre Dame and Katie Conboy from SMC. mirrorindy.org/butler-unive...
mirrorindy.org
Butler president criticizes “government overreach” by Trump administration
James Danko was among 554 college presidents, including three in Indiana, to sign the letter.
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Daniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
For all the claims that Americans are in a populist mood and therefore scornful of higher education it sure seems as though Trump’s War on College is super-unpopular. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 27/04/2025
University leaders need to understand: they are holding INCREDIBLY good cards. It is so rare in today's polarized era to have the support of 70+ percent of the public against the Trump admiministration on anything. Universities have that—AND winning legal arguments.
Graphic of Washington Post poll from April 18-22, 2025, showing "Majorities of Americans oppose various Trump proposals"

highlighting two lines in particular:
"Increasing the Federal Government's role in how private universities operate" - 28 percent support, 70 percent oppose
"Reducing federal funding for medical research" - 21 percent support, 77 percent oppose
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Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
The Miami Herald is doing remarkable public service journalism on deported Venezuelans and the crimes being committed against them. Almost like news institutions that are located in and around the communities they serve end up being accountable for serving those communities
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Ok Northwestern has signed up. If your college hasn’t joined up, call up the alumni or president’s office and ask why.
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 22/04/2025
This statement is quite strong. Signed by nearly 200 presidents, including about a third of them publics. But the headline is remarkably mild: "A call for constructive engagement." www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-c...
Excerpt of AAC&U letter: "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."
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Daniel Engber @engber.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Is public media already giving up? www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...
theatlantic.com
PBS Pulled a Film for Political Reasons, Then Changed Its Mind
A window into how the network is handling the new Trump era
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 10/04/2025
www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
tampabay.com
USF, UF campus police to partner with ICE on immigration enforcement
Other Florida college police departments have signed similar agreements.
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 10/04/2025
www.alligator.org/article/2025...
alligator.org
UF partners with ICE for on-campus immigration enforcement - The Independent Florida Alligator
The University of Florida is partnering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an effort to crack down on undocumented international students.
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Daniel Engber @engber.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Here's what RFK is saying in private to the family of a girl who died last week from a vaccine-preventable disease www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
theatlantic.com
What RFK Jr. Told Grieving Texas Families About the Measles Vaccine
The nation’s top public-health official has been promoting suspicions of the shot even as he offers comfort.
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
The lesson for universities is you may as well fight back. You'll lose the money either way. The only question is whether you keep your dignity.
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Terri Langford @tlangford.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Texas readers may not have known his name but the product they read every day for free – The Texas Tribune – was made possible by John. Rest in power. Remembering John Thornton, founder of The Texas Tribune www.texastribune.org/2025/04/01/j... via @texastribune.org
texastribune.org
Remembering John Thornton, founder of The Texas Tribune
Thornton conceived of the idea of a nonprofit news enterprise to engage Texans with their government, and then helped support similar outlets across the country. He died Saturday at 59.
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
This www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/n...
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 21/03/2025
We built a page that gathers up the specific actions the Trump administration is taking related to higher ed. Inspired by the NYT version that's for all topics. We needed a place to point our local reporters to when we talk about all that's going on. www.opencampus.org/higher-educa...
opencampus.org
Higher Education Under Pressure: Administration Actions - Open Campus
A chronological list of major actions affecting higher education institutions by the Trump administration. More about our Higher Ed Under Pressure project. Filter by topic: All Actions Anti-semitism D...
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 18/03/2025
Mitchell: ACE willing to continue to play lead plaintiff role in legal fight over the "rat's nest of investigations that seem to be A. never ending, B, very general, and C, sort of directed in very bizarre ways."
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 18/03/2025
Fansmith: "Really this is a moment where higher ed needs to make it clear that this is not just us protecting some sort of privilege we have. We are deeply intertwined into our communities. ... We serve our communities in a million different ways."
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 18/03/2025
Jon Fansmith from ACE says talking locally with representaives has had an impact. "Talk about the University of Maine's USDA funding. Susan Collins very proudly talked about the fact she called the administration up and that funding was restored."
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 18/03/2025
Mitchell, on stopping data collection programs. "Once you stop (some of these things) not only is it hard to restart, but you've kind of lost the whole message. ... We're blinding ourselves. And we're doing it at an incredible rate."
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 18/03/2025
Mitchell, on the Ed Dept cuts: "I think they've clearly moved to a hollow out the department strategy. So that at the end of some period of time, they sort of look over their shoulder and say, well, there's nothing left."
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 18/03/2025
Ted Mitchell, president of ACE talking today about #PSLF on webinar: "Another chapter in the book of break it now and the probabilities of fixing it later go way down." He worries that delay in processing will "take the heart out of program because people won't trust it."
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Jamal Greene @jamalgreene.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Some of my Columbia Law School colleagues and I offer our thoughts on legal issues with the Administration's March 13, 2025 letter to our University's president, and its threat to academic freedom. balkin.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-ti...
balkin.blogspot.com
Balkinization: A Title VI Demand Letter That Itself Violates Title VI (and the Constitution)
A group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 15/03/2025
5/ Harris: "But my vote to grant the stay comes with a caveat. What the Orders say on their face and how they are enforced are two different things. Agency enforcement actions that go beyond the Orders' narrow scope may well raise serious First Amendment and Due Process concerns."
Screen shot of Harris concurring: "But my vote to grant the stay comes with a caveat. What the Orders say on theirface and how they are enforced are two different things. Agency enforcement actions thatgo beyond the Orders’ narrow scope may well raise serious First Amendment and DueProcess concerns, for the reasons cogently explained by the district court. "
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 15/03/2025
4/ Harris "Nor do the Orders authorize the termination of grants based on a grantee's speech or activities outside the scope of the funded activities."
Screen shot of Judge Harris, concurring. "As the government explains, the challenged Executive Orders do not purport to establish the illegality of all efforts to advance diversity, equity or inclusion, and they should not be so understood. Instead, the so-called "Certification" and "Enforcement Threat" provisions apply only to conduct that violates existing federal anti-discrimination law."

Harris 'Nor do the Orders authorize the termination of grants based on a grantee's speech or activities outside the scope of the funded activities. Rather, the "Termination" provision directs the termination of grants, subject to applicable legal limits, based only on the nature of the grant-funded activity  
itself."
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 15/03/2025
3/ Judge Harris: EOs "do not purport to establish the illegality of all efforts to advance diversity, equity or inclusion ... Instead, the so-called "Certification" and "Enforcement Threat" provisions apply only to conduct that violates existing federal anti-discrimination law."
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 15/03/2025
2/ Here's the order. Judge Pamela Harris, concurring, says something that the White House never says: "the challenged Executive Orders, on their face, are of distinctly limited scope." www.documentcloud.org/documents/25...
documentcloud.org
DEIStay031425
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 15/03/2025
Appeals court lifts ban on Trump executive orders regarding DEI. Higher ed groups had won at stay at the district court. 1/ apnews.com/article/dei-...
apnews.com
Appeals court lifts blocks on Trump's orders restricting diversity, equity and inclusion programs
An appeals court has lifted a block on executive orders seeking to end government support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, handing the Trump administration a win after a string of setback...
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 15/03/2025
UWyoming had already closed its DEI office last year in response to state legislation. A report from a working group the president created to examine DEI at the university offers a great look at administrators trying to figure out what exactly constitutes "DEI." www.uwyo.edu/news/_files/...
Excerpt from the Working Group report: "DEI is a broad umbrella term encompassing a spectrum of ideals, values, and activities some of which are federally mandated, required for accreditation, and/or represent other unobjectionable activities. Through its work, the Working Group has found that in this broad sense DEI is integrated throughout higher education, including at the University of Wyoming. However, the legislative intent of the budget footnote appeared more focused on specific activities grouped with DEI efforts. In the absence of a definition of DEI within the budget footnote, the Working Group directed its attention toward other legislative language and laws from other states to draft a definition responsive to the perceived legislative intent. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts are defined as advocating, promoting, or funding a program, activity, or function that: 1. Advantages or disadvantages, or attempts to advantage or disadvantage, an individual or group on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation, to equalize or increase outcomes, participation or representation as compared to other individuals or groups; or 2. Promotes the position that the action of a group or an individual is inherently, unconsciously, or implicitly biased, privileged or inherently superior or inferior on the basis of color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation. "
Excerpt from the Working Group report: "DEI programs, activities and functions: The Working Group has found that of the programs, activities, and functions reviewed so far, many are critical to the University's core mission or are considered a critical support service. The DEI office at the University of Wyoming is modest in size compared to counterparts at other institutions, and its primary focus is on supporting students in a manner consistent with Wyoming values. In addition, many of the DEI-related programs, activities, and functions across the University--not directly managed by the office--do not align with the issues making national headlines. However, some modification might be considered to ensure that there is no preferential treatment or exclusion of groups based on specific identities. For example:
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 15/03/2025
What is the Ph.D. Project? A small nonprofit ($2-3 million in annual expenses) that encourages Black, Hispanic and Native American students to pursue doctorates in business. It's been around since the mid-1990s. phdproject.org
phdproject.org
Who We Are
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 15/03/2025
Good story here from @wyofile.com about the U of Wyoming dropping its partnership with The Ph.D. Project. The Ed Dept announced on Friday that it was opening civil rights investigations in 45 universities that partner with the Ph.D. Project. wyofile.com/university-o...
wyofile.com
University of Wyoming drops partnership amid Trump administration investigation into ‘race-exclusionary practices’ - WyoFile
School administration pledges to comply with investigation and eliminate all programs that promote differential treatment.
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 14/03/2025
2/ "First, they have behaved as if their societal value is self-evident. ... Second, university administrators have too often assumed that because a great deal of conservative criticism of higher education has been made in bad faith, none of it is valid."
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 14/03/2025
Nick Dirks, the former chancellor of Cal, is spot on here: "Universities have made two general mistakes in the face of sustained right-wing criticism. ... www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
theatlantic.com
Academia Needs to Stick Up for Itself
American higher education would be in a much stronger position today if it had made a proactive case to the public for its own importance—and taken steps to address its very real shortcomings.
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 14/03/2025
The federal government is applying unprecedented pressure on universities. At @opencampus.org we've launched the Higher Ed Under Pressure project to expand beyond our network of local reporters and help ANY journalist cover what this means for their community. www.opencampus.org/higher-ed-un...
opencampus.org
Higher Ed Under Pressure: Resources for Local Journalists - Open Campus
Universities face unprecedented federal pressure threatening funding, research, and independence. Access free resources to help your newsroom report on this moment.
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Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
The subjugation of universities to official power is a hallmark of autocracy. No one should be under any illusions about what’s going on here. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/n...
nytimes.com
Trump Demands Major Changes in Columbia Discipline and Admissions Rules
A letter outlining “immediate next steps” arrived less than a week after the administration said it was canceling $400 million in grants and contracts.
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Morgan Polikoff @mpolikoff.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
American universities have been the envy of the world and the engine of our economy for decades. 🤷‍♂️
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Adam Harris @adamhsays.com · 13/03/2025
"While laid-off staffers are still technically employed until March 21, they had limited access to their email, phones and computers, making a response to the outage difficult" apnews.com/article/stud...
apnews.com
Federal student loan site down Wednesday, a day after layoffs gutted Education Department
Hundreds of users reported FAFSA outages to Downdetector starting midday Wednesday, saying they were having trouble completing the form, which is required for financial aid at colleges nationwide.
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Volt @voltedu.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Another episode of Trusted Voices is live! 🎇 @tvparrot.bsky.social and @erinahennessy.bsky.social talk with @holdenthorp.bsky.social about the role of transparency in leadership, speaking up in controversy, and the responsibility institutions have to the public 👇
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Dr. Judith Scott-Clayton @jscottclayton.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Of course they know this, and they have no magical plan to do all the core functions but this time Efficiently(TM). The plan is to break things, so government can’t help you anymore. So yes, absolutely you should worry about your financial aid being affected. It appears to me that is the intention.
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Anna Kornbluh @annakornbluh.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
attacking higher education is economic sabotage the largest employer in 10 states + 60 of the 100 top cities “The local impact would reach far and wide: In 2022, Johns Hopkins affiliates accounted for over 93,600 jobs+over $15 billion in economic output in Maryland.” www.wsj.com/health/healt...
wsj.com
Johns Hopkins Plans Staff Layoffs After $800 Million Grant Cuts
Local and international health research efforts are already winding down as the university braces for even more potential cuts.
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 11/03/2025
Ed Dept says it "will continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency's purview, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking."
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Reposted by Scott Smallwood
Katherine Knott @knottkatherine.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
The Trump administration is planning to cut the staff at the Education Department by about 50 percent. @liamknox.bsky.social and @jessicablake.bsky.social on what we know now about the layoffs. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
insidehighered.com
Education Department to reduce staff by half
Ahead of the announcement, the department told staff that DC offices would be closed on Wednesday and reopen Thursday for “security reasons.”
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Scott Smallwood @scottsmallwood.com · 11/03/2025
Ed Department plans to cut nearly 50 percent of its staff as part of what Linda McMahon calls "its final mission." Going from 4,133 --> 2,183. www.ed.gov/about/news/p...
ed.gov
U.S. Department of Education Initiates Reduction in Force
As part of the Department of Education’s final mission, the Department today initiated a reduction in force (RIF) impacting nearly 50% of the Department’s workforce.
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Adam Harris @adamhsays.com · 11/03/2025
among other serious issues here, if i'm reading this right, the administration has not found any violations but is pre-emptively pausing $100 million in funding because of "prospective violations"? www.pressherald.com/2025/03/11/u...
pressherald.com
USDA halts more than $100M in funding for University of Maine System programs
The move temporarily pauses USDA funding for Maine's university system after President Donald Trump threatened to cut off the state over Maine's decision to allow transgender athletes to compete in sp...
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Adam Harris @adamhsays.com · 10/03/2025
The Ed. Department's Office for Civil Rights sent letters to 60 additional institutions "warning them of potential enforcement actions" for "violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination" including Harvard, Brown, Stanford, Princeton, UNC, and several UC's
U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Sends Letters to 60 Universities Under Investigation for Antisemitic Discrimination and Harassment
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) sent letters to 60 institutions of higher education warning them of potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus, including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities. The letters are addressed to all U.S. universities that are presently under investigation for Title VI violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination. 

“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”  

The schools that received letters from the Office for Civil Rights include:  American University 
Arizona State University 
Boston University 
Brown University 
California State University, Sacramento 
Chapman University 
Columbia University 
Cornell University 
Drexel University 
Eastern Washington University 
Emerson College 
George Mason University 
Harvard University 
Illinois Wesleyan University 
Indiana University, Bloomington 
Johns Hopkins University 
Lafayette College 
Lehigh University 
Middlebury College 
Muhlenberg College 
Northwestern University 
Ohio State University 
Pacific Lutheran University     
Pomona College 
Portland State University Princeton University 
Rutgers University 
Rutgers University-Newark
Santa Monica College 
Sarah Lawrence College 
Stanford University 
State University of New York Binghamton 
State University of New York Rockland 
State University of New York, Purchase 
Swarthmore College 
Temple University 
The New School 
Tufts University 
Tulane University 
Union College 
University of California Davis 
University of California San Diego 
University of California Santa Barbara 
University of California, Berkeley
University of Cincinnati 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 
University of Massachusetts Amherst 
University of Michigan 
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 
University of North Carolina 
University of South Florida 
University of Southern California 
University of Tampa 
University of Tennessee 
University of Virginia 
University of Washington-Seattle 
University of Wisconsin, Madison 
Wellesley College 
Whitman College 
Yale University
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Jeremy Bauer-Wolf @jbeowulf.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
The acting U.S. attorney for DC demanded Georgetown Law stop teaching diversity-related topics. It’s wrong (and illegal) for political appointees to try to dictate what colleges can teach. But institutions must also stand up to authoritarian actors. My latest: www.newamerica.org/education-po...
newamerica.org
U.S. Colleges Should Not Abandon Their Principles
Institutions have the opportunity to be defenders of diversity efforts and academic freedom as the Trump administration assails those values.
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