Nine Ohio college and university presidents are among more than 200 who co-signed a statement pushing back against the Trump administration amid
escalating tensions
between higher education institutions and federal authorities.
The statement, titled
“A Call for Constructive Engagement,”
was organized by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. It represents the first time current presidents have spoken out collectively in such numbers about these issues.
In the statement, the school leaders say they “speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.”
The college leaders emphasize they are “open to constructive reform” but will “oppose undue government intrusion” affecting campus communities.
The Ohio college presidents who co-signed the statement include:
- Carmen Twillie Ambar, President, Oberlin College
- John Comerford, President, Otterbein University
- Robert H. Huntington, President, Heidelberg University
- David L. Kaufman, President, Capital University
- Julie Kornfeld, President, Kenyon College
- Anne E. McCall, President, The College of Wooster
- Eric F. Spina, President, University of Dayton
- Matthew P. vandenBerg, President, Ohio Wesleyan University
- Adam Weinberg, President, Denison University
The collective action comes after the administration
paused billions of dollars in federal grants
to several prestigious universities, including Harvard and Columbia, in what educators describe as attempts to force changes to admissions processes and restrict student protests.
“We will always seek effective and fair financial practices, but we must reject the coercive use of public research funding,” the statement reads.
The statement also addresses recent deportation efforts targeting international students, some of whom participated in campus protests last year.
The statement is still accepting signatures from school leaders.
