Press Release - A Day of Action for HigherEd - Google Docs

"Faculty from fourteen universities across the United States signed and released letters calling for their respective university’s administrative bodies to stand up to the Trump administration’s attacks on academic freedom, freedom of inquiry, and other democratic principles. Nearly 5,100 faculty have collectively signed these letters on what the American Association of University Professors has called a Day of Action for Higher Ed. This is a collaborative effort independently organized by passionate faculty across four universities - Professor Ryan Enos from Harvard University; Professor Gerry Leonard from Boston University; Professor Brian Cleary from Boston University; Professor Daniel Laurison from Swarthmore College; and Professor Dan Hirschman from Cornell University - to encourage leadership at higher education institutions to stand up and fight back against the anti-democratic attacks of the federal government.

Following the extraordinary sign of leadership from Harvard University on April 14, 2025, these faculty are speaking out to encourage their own institutions to stand up and fight back collectively against the illegal and unprecedented actions of the federal government in three key ways:

1. Condemn the attacks on higher education, even if your own institution has not yet been singled out.

2. Legally contest and refuse to comply with unlawful demands from the federal government.

3. Work with other universities to mount a coordinated opposition of administrators, faculty, and alumni to combat these anti-democratic attacks...."