It sounds like the name of a quaint town somewhere in the midwest but it's actually the state of affairs in higher education and many other sectors as the repercussions of reelecting Donald Trump to the US Presidency continue to unfold. My blog posts have continued to chronicle what has been underway, including Resistance and Ingenuity under Fire, Trauma and Renewal, and Is it a Myth? - the last specifically focused on debunking misinformation that has become commonplace.
Educators should not miss understanding the dire circumstances that the Trump initiatives foretell. Former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, David Pressman, warned attendees at the ACE annual conference that the perspective and strategy of the Trump administration is very similar to the authoritarian regime of Viktor Orban. Controlling education is essential in order for authoritarians to create their own narrative of institutions that are so fundamental to a nation's culture and future. In a remarkable show of arrogance, Education Department Nicholas Kent warned "change is coming whether institutions like it or not. 'I hope that you all are ready, having made it through the five stages of grief and, most importantly, reaching the final state of acceptance." Reacting to Kent's speech, Ted Mitchell of ACE encouraged attendees to fight back against the "outrageous assault aimed at a few of us but intended to hurt all of us" rejoining with "we can acknowledge our critics when they're right." Driving toward systems he perceives as perpetuating liberal ideology, Kent threatened accrediting bodies for not eliminating DEI in their standards. Amid the turmoil, accrediting bodies should focus on continuous improvement and peer review in order to serve the institutions seeking their approval.
The carnage of Education Secretary McMahon's reflects the ruthless strategies she and her husband used in controlling the WWE. Daniel Collier, an assistant professor at the University of Memphis and life-long WWE enthusiast, said "plans to break up ED as well as work on other key priorities across the federal government will further accelerate as the administration prepares for the midterm elections, when Republicans could lose control of Congress." Although she claimed greater efficiencies from reducing staff, the scars left after McMahon's firing frenzy reduced the ability of Education to deliver on its legislative mandates. Inter Agency Agreements (IAA) transferring functions to other governmental entities are continuing with one of the most significant being transfer of student financial aide to the Treasury Department. The haphazard and unlawful rampages during Musk's DOGE days that dismantled NEH's ability to do its job may be the ultimate goal of the Education Department IAAs.
The recent Inside Higher Education article That's Nuts offers a summary of the most recent crazy interventions and implications we are experiencing at institution, state, and federal levels. The article concludes "Fortunately, there are groups forming that are starting to organize around the challenges we're facing." Organizations such as the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom and the Alliance for Higher Education will hopefully demonstrate that "We don't have to let the bonkers stuff keep happening. There is a future where we have the freedoms and support we need for higher ed institutions, and the people who intersect with them, to thrive." While most institutions have not chosen to sue the Trump administration, San Jose State took the Education Department on for penalizing it for supposed violations of Title IX. Of course, McMahon bullied back by threatening withdrawal of federal funding.
Research using statistical analysis of Trump's "scattergun" approach (a favorite of Stave Bannon) is important because it illuminates the focus areas. Christina Pagel, who pioneered the analysis says that her tracker is a "'way to sift through the shit' - because such attacks become normalized very quickly." For instance, of the 404 "attempts to control science and health" 185 are directed at education, arts, and museums. The reason - "universities are attacked because that is where resistance to authoritarian regimes often starts." Populist regimes strive to control the narrative by contrast to intellectual inquiry which relies on evidence and critical thinking.
Adding another element of hitting from all sides, Secretary of Defense Hegseth attacked several prestigious universities for presumed liberal bias. Specifically, partnerships with MIT, William & Mary, Carnegie Mellon, Yale, and Harvard as alternatives to the Army War College for military officer training may be severed. The potential partners Hegseth identified include the University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Regent University, Hillsdale College and Liberty University. Communicated through social media and press conferences, it is unclear what Hegseth plans but his X pronouncement was alarming. He said, "'America's highly ranked universities no longer live up to their founding principles as bastions of free speech, open inquiry' and commitment to 'American values.'"
Critical research is another area languishing under the Trump administration. Half way through its fiscal year, the National Institute for Health (NIH) has obligated only15% of its available funding. "Consequently, many of our universities have lowered the number of Ph.D. students in life sciences that they have admitted this year or admitted them with the caveat that they may not be supported." Inequities in who receives NIH support is hitting women scientists in disproportionate ways.
One of the first Trump era initiatives was to claim that higher education was liberally biased and that this created a hostile environment for conservative students. Come to find out, most conservative students don't feel persecuted at all. The sad reality is that the attack on behalf of conservative students' woes resulted in a chilling effect on all speech on campus, some of which resembles the fear of free speech and press of McCarthyism.
DEI prohibition by the Education Department has repeatedly been struck down in court challenges. Mirroring Trump's persistence in numerous areas, Education and DOJ officials persist in finding other ways to control programs that advocate diversity of viewpoint. Civil rights investigations, funding parameters, and financial extortion to avoid investigations have been favorites and are likely to continue. Threats by Trump's Justice Department that Harvard is anti-Semitic have persisted for months as well as charges that Harvard considers race in admissions decisions. Stanford, Ohio State, and UC-Sandiego medicals schools received notice that they were under investigation for preferential (discriminatory) admissions. Reflecting on her new role as president and CEO of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, Emelyn A. dela Pena, said that diversity will continue to be a central element of higher education even though the Trump administration has forced new language to describe it. Fortunately, states are stepping up to provide funding for minority serving institutions, a segment that has seen cuts under the anti-DEI umbrella. The gift of Trump's prohibition is that it will help institutions realize how DEI should have been embraced from the start - a shared value-based and institutional commitment.
All in all, the Trump era's impact on higher education in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world is devastating. Glimmers of hope occasionally emerge. These small wins must be celebrated and doing so will give life to other constructive responses to come.
