常春藤联盟能否团结起来抵抗特朗普对高等教育的攻击？
【中美创新时报2025 年 6 月 9日编译讯】随着特朗普政府采取非同寻常的举措来改革高等教育，特别是精英学校，教授们敦促大学校长“互相支持”。《波士顿环球报》记者克莱尔·桑顿对此作了下述报道。
最近一个周六，普林斯顿大学校园里一片橙色和黑色的海洋，校友们挤满了 P-Rade 游行路线，这是 每年为毕业班举行的聚会。
当普林斯顿大学校长克里斯托弗·艾斯格鲁伯 (Christopher Eisgruber) 漫步在榆树大道 (Elm Drive) 游行路线上时，一位与 2019 届毕业生站在一起的年轻女子高喊：“站起来反抗特朗普！”
随着特朗普政府采取非同寻常的举措来改革高等教育，特别是精英学校，艾斯格鲁伯和许多大学领导人一样，慢慢采取措施维护学术独立。
哈佛大学遭受了特朗普总统的大部分打击，总统剥夺了近30亿美元的联邦资金，并试图阻止其国际学生进入美国。该校已提起两起诉讼，质疑特朗普政府策略的合法性。
在其他学校，大学校长们正在接受采访并在校园发表演讲，批评白宫。教授们正在成立工会，维护他们的研究成果和学生权益。许多校友团体正在带头开展公众意识宣传活动，向母校施压，要求其反击特朗普。
专家表示，由于诉讼可能需要数年时间才能在法庭上解决，因此高等教育的辩护必须在舆论法庭上进行。
“公众将会赢得这场斗争，”非营利性美国教育理事会 副主席乔恩·范史密斯说。
特朗普政府认为，精英大学强迫学生接受左翼思想，并允许反犹太主义自2023年10月以色列与哈马斯战争爆发以来猖獗。该政府宣布对涉嫌歧视白人的高校展开调查，并切断或威胁削减对许多学校的联邦资助。
哥伦比亚大学校长在今年3月表示，他们将遵从政府的要求。此前，由于校方认为该校未能保护犹太学生免受歧视，学校官员冻结了数亿美元的资助。但这似乎并未平息白宫的不满。白宫上周宣布，将针对该校的认证，这最终可能导致哥伦比亚大学失去联邦政府对学生的财政援助。
今年4月，十大联盟（Big Ten）几所院校的教授们签署了一份类似北约的联盟协议，誓言保护任何成员国免受特朗普的攻击。纽约康奈尔大学劳动法教授丽莎·利伯维茨（Risa Lieberwitz）表示，其他地区的教授也应该采取同样的策略。
“特朗普政府无意退缩，唯一能阻止他的方法就是我们互相支持、采取强有力的集体行动，”利伯维茨说，他的大学在四月份被冻结了超过 10 亿美元的联邦拨款。
大学校长发声
常春藤盟校的校长们对校园反犹太主义指控以及特朗普政府试图控制学校管理方式的反应各不相同。
一些人在媒体上发表声明，谴责特朗普的攻击行为；一些人发表声明，坚决捍卫学术自由；其他人则采取机构中立态度，表示他们的大学将避免对热点话题发表立场。
宪法学者艾斯格鲁伯 尤其直言不讳，抨击特朗普政府削减普林斯顿大学研究经费的行为。
今年春天，艾斯格鲁伯告诉《每日新闻》主持人：“保守观点在校园里受到欢迎确实很重要，但这与坚持校园里的意识形态平衡不同。”
在哈佛大学四月份损失了数十亿美元的科学经费后，艾斯格鲁伯在他的 LinkedIn 个人资料上发布了“普林斯顿与哈佛站在一起”的帖子。
在布朗大学，学校最高管理机构最近将校长克里斯蒂娜·帕克森的任期延长至 2028 年 6 月，以示信任。
今年春天，高等教育倡导者告诉《波士顿环球报》，艾斯格鲁伯和帕克森的长期任期使他们更有资格发表意见。
其他常春藤盟校最近也遭遇了校长更替的困扰，其中包括因回应亲 巴勒斯坦抗议活动和反犹太主义指控而引人关注的校长下台。耶鲁大学、康奈尔大学和宾夕法尼亚大学的校长均于今年春天就职。
美国大学教授协会主席托德·沃尔夫森表示：“其他大学校长没有为哈佛大学挺身而出，因为他们不想成为特朗普名单上的下一个。”
教授们告诉《波士顿环球报》，大学校长们也在与华盛顿特区的立法者制定战略。
4 月 22 日，数百名大学校长公开签署了一份与美国大学协会联合发布的声明，抗议“前所未有的政府越权和政治干预正在危及美国高等教育”。这是大学校长们最大规模的公开抗议。
达特茅斯学院美国原住民校友会活跃成员德里克·詹宁斯 (Derek Jennings) 表示，达特茅斯学院校长西恩·贝洛克 (Sian Beilock) 是唯一一位没有签署该协议的常春藤盟校校长，尽管教授和校友们敦促他签署。
达特茅斯学院媒体关系总监贾娜·巴内洛 (Jana Barnello) 表示，与其他学校一样，达特茅斯学院已在有关资金削减的诉讼中提交了支持声明。
教授们集会反对特朗普
虽然大学校长似乎采取了更加谨慎和深思熟虑的方式，但 今年春天许多教授迅速组织起来，成立了工会分会，试图捍卫他们的研究成果。
“达特茅斯学院教师积极性不断提升，表明我们这些珍视高等教育理想和价值观的人，并没有坐等管理者来主导这件事，”贝瑟尼·莫顿（Bethany Moreton）说道。她于2024年5月帮助成立了达特茅斯学院的美国大学校长协会分会。她说，该协会的会员人数现已激增至150人。
各团体向《波士顿环球报》透露，常春藤盟校的研究人员表示，他们最适合公开宣传自己的工作，在集会和致立法者的信中描述他们拯救生命的发现和发现。
尽管一些观察人士警告称，由于特朗普削减研究经费，教授们的人才可能会流失到加拿大或欧洲，但也有人表示，特朗普的攻击行为正在使同事们之间产生比多年来更大的团结。
普林斯顿大学英语教授梅雷迪思·马丁表示：“如果此举的目的是分裂教职员工，并通过各种威胁挑起我们之间的对抗，那根本行不通。我们非常关心我们的学生，所以，如果说有什么不同的话，那就是此举让我们团结起来，让我们更加强大。”
据该组织称，在最近的学年里，美国大学教授协会 (AAUP) 的会员人数从 42,000 人激增至 50,000 人，其中几乎所有的会员人数都是在特朗普于一月份就职后增加的，这是该协会一个世纪前成立以来的最大增幅。
校友为学校挺身而出
校友们还敦促母校管理人员采取更多措施维护学校的自治权。
哈佛大学校友运动“深红勇气”周五在剑桥校园一个挤满人的礼堂举行会议，讨论如何“在哈佛以外开展运动”，活动描述称。
在过去五周内，“为普林斯顿和高等教育挺身而出”组织已聚集了超过9000名校友支持者。5月24日，一些人举着标语，佩戴着徽章，沿着普林斯顿大学抗议游行路线行走。该组织的网站已成为最新威胁信息的中心。
在康涅狄格州，“为耶鲁挺身而出”组织于四月份致信耶鲁大学教务长，要求校方“有目的地、积极地与其他学院和大学合作，共同防御”。
校友们告诉《波士顿环球报》，类似的校友团体正在常春藤联盟的各个角落形成，其中几家校友团体敦促大学校长签署团体声明。
专家称，学校必须正式联合起来
许多毕业生表示，他们支持整个高等教育，而不仅仅是他们的母校。
在普林斯顿大学最近的校友聚会上，一位耶鲁神学院的学生与一位芝加哥大学法学院的毕业生在烧烤聚会上相聚。在 附近的 费尔斯通图书馆外，耶鲁大学和哈佛大学法学院的应届毕业生们热情拥抱。
“我和我的同龄人所接受的教育改变了我的生活，我们的学校知道这一点，并且不会放弃确保未来的学生获得同样的机会，”拥有普林斯顿大学学士学位和哥伦比亚大学社会学硕士学位的约书亚·费尔斯说。
耶鲁大学美国大学教授联合会分会主席丹尼尔·马丁内斯·霍桑 (Daniel Martinez HoSang) 表示， 特朗普知道高等教育机构相互依赖并共享一个“生态系统”，因此对一所大学的威胁就是对所有大学的威胁。
何桑说：“如果不捍卫整个高等教育，就不可能拯救耶鲁、哈佛或普林斯顿。”
美国大学教授协会 (AAUP) 全国主席沃尔夫森表示，一些人警告说，教职员工和校友需要来自管理人员的更多支持，尤其是来自最高层的校长的支持。
“我认为他们需要大胆一些，”沃尔夫森说。“这很难做到，但我还是要说：他们需要把学校放在第二位，然后才是高等教育——作为美国社会的一个关键部门——的首位。”
题图：四月，教育工作者、学生和工会成员出席了伊利诺伊州埃文斯顿西北大学与美国大学教授协会分会联合举办的西北大学研究生工人新闻发布会。Nam Y. Huh/美联社
附原英文报道：
Can the Ivy League band together to fight Trump’s attacks on higher education?
Professors are urging university presidents to ‘have each other’s backs’
By Claire Thornton Globe Staff,Updated June 8, 2025, 6:00 a.m.
Educators, students, and union members attend a Northwestern University Graduate Workers press conference with American Association of University Professors chapter at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., in April. Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
PRINCETON, N.J. — Princeton’s campus was a sea of orange and black on a recent Saturday, as alumni crowded the route of the P-Rade, an annual reunion honoring each graduating class.
As Princeton’s president, Christopher Eisgruber, strolled the Elm Drive parade route, a young woman standing with members of the class of 2019 shouted, “Stand up to Trump!”
Eisgruber, like many university leaders, has slowly taken steps to stand up for academic independence as the Trump administration has taken extraordinary moves to overhaul higher education, particularly elite schools.
Harvard University has suffered most of President Trump’s blows, with the president stripping nearly $3 billion in federal funds and trying to prevent its international students from entering the US. The university has filed two lawsuits challenging the legality of the Trump administration’s tactics.
At other schools, university presidents are giving interviews and campus speeches critical of the White House. Professors are unionizing to advocate for their research and students. And many alumni groups are spearheading public awareness campaigns to pressure their alma maters to fight back against Trump.
Because lawsuits could take years to resolve in court, the defense of higher education must play out in the court of public opinion, experts said.
“The fight is going to be won among the public,” said Jon Fansmith, vice president of the nonprofit American Council on Education.
The Trump administration has argued elite universities force-feed students leftist ideology and allowed antisemitism to run rampant since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023. The administration has announced investigations of colleges and universities allegedly discriminating against white people and cut off or threatened to cut federal funding to many schools.
At Columbia University, leaders in March said they would comply with the administration’s demands after officials froze hundreds of millions of dollars in funding because the administration said the school failed to protect Jewish students from discrimination. But that didn’t seem to appease the White House, which announced last week it was targeting the school’s accreditation, which could ultimately result in Columbia losing federal financial aid for its students.
In April, professors at several Big Ten conference schools signed on to a NATO-like alliance vowing to defend any member against attacks from Trump. Professors elsewhere should embrace that strategy, said Risa Lieberwitz, a professor of labor law at Cornell University in New York.
“The Trump administration has no intention of backing down, and the only thing that will work to oppose him is strong collective action where we have each other’s backs,” said Lieberwitz, whose university had more than $1 billion in federal grants frozen in April.
University presidents speak out
Ivy League university presidents have responded differently to allegations of antisemitism on campus and the Trump administration’s attempts to control how they run their schools.
A few made statements in the media condemning Trump’s assaults; some issued full-throated statements in defense of academic freedom; others have adopted institutional neutrality, saying their university will avoid taking positions on hot-button topics.
Eisgruber, a constitutional law scholar, has been particularly outspoken, slamming the Trump administration’s efforts to defund research at Princeton.
“It’s really important for conservative views to be welcome on a campus, but that’s different from insisting on ideological balance on a campus,” Eisgruber told the host of The Daily this spring.
After Harvard lost billions in science funding in April, Eisgruber posted “Princeton stands with Harvard,” on his LinkedIn profile.
At Brown University, the school’s highest governing body recently extended president Christina Paxson’s term through June 2028 in a show of confidence.
Eisgruber’s and Paxson’s long tenures put them in better positions to speak out, higher education advocates told the Globe this spring.
Other Ivies have recently been plagued by turnover among leaders, including high-profile oustings over responses to pro-Palestinian protests and allegations of antisemitism. The presidents of Yale, Cornell, and the University of Pennsylvania were installed this spring.
“The other university presidents are not standing up for Harvard because they don’t want to be the next one on Trump’s list,” said Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, a union.
University presidents are also strategizing with lawmakers in Washington D.C., professors told the Globe.
The largest public outcry from university presidents came on April 22, when hundreds signed a public statement with the American Association of Colleges & Universities against “unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.”
Dartmouth president Sian Beilock was the only Ivy president to not sign, despite being urged to by professors and alumni, said Derek Jennings, an active member of the Native American Alumni Association of Dartmouth.
The school’s director of media relations, Jana Barnello, said like other schools, Dartmouth has filed supporting declarations in lawsuits over the funding cuts.
Professors rally to organize against Trump
While university presidents seem to be taking a more careful and calculated approach, many professors rapidly organized this spring, forming union chapters in an attempt to defend their research.
“The level of increased faculty activism at Dartmouth is demonstrating that those of us who value the ideals and values of higher education are not waiting for administrators to lead on this,” said Bethany Moreton, who helped launch Dartmouth’s chapter of the American Association of University Presidents in May 2024. Membership has since ballooned to 150, she said.
Across the Ivy League, researchers said they’re best suited to publicly advocate for their work, describing their life-saving findings and discoveries at rallies and in letters to lawmakers, groups told the Globe.
While some observers warn of a potential brain drain among professors to Canada or Europe in response to Trump’s cuts to research funding, some said Trump’s attacks are creating more unity among colleagues than they’ve seen in years.
“If the intention was to divide faculty and pit us against each other with all the threats, it’s really not working,” said Princeton English professor Meredith Martin. “We care so much about our students that, if anything, this is bringing us together and making us stronger.”
During the recent school year, membership in AAUP surged to 50,000, from 42,000, with almost all of that after Trump’s inauguration in January, according to the group, and is the largest spike since its founding a century ago.
Alumni stand up for schools
Alumni are also pushing administrators at their alma maters to do more to stand up for their schools’ autonomy.
Harvard’s alumni campaign, Crimson Courage, met Friday in a packed auditorium on the Cambridge campus to discuss how it is “reaching out beyond Harvard to build the campaign,” an event description said.
The group Stand Up for Princeton and Higher Education amassed more than 9,000 alumni supporters in the past five weeks. Some held signs and wore buttons while walking the P-Rade route on May 24. The group’s website has become a hub for information on the latest threats..
In Connecticut, the group Stand Up for Yale sent a letter in April to the university provost demanding the administration “work purposefully and proactively with other colleges and universities in collective defense.”
Similar alumni groups are taking shape across the Ivy League, with several urging university presidents to sign on to group statements, alumni told the Globe.
Schools must band together formally, experts say
Many graduates said their support is for all of higher education, not just their alma maters.
At the recent Princeton reunion after the P-Rade, a Yale Divinity School student caught up with a University of Chicago Law School graduate over barbecue. Outside nearby Firestone Library, recent graduates of Yale’s and Harvard’s law schools enveloped in hugs.
“The education my peers and I received was life changing, and our schools know this and are not backing down on ensuring future students get the same opportunities,” said Joshua Faires, who has an undergraduate degree from Princeton and a master’s degree in sociology from Columbia University.
Daniel Martinez HoSang, president of Yale’s AAUP chapter, said Trump knows higher education institutions depend on each other and share one “ecosystem,” and so a threat against one is a threat to all, he said.
“There is no saving Yale, Harvard, or Princeton without standing up for all of higher education,” HoSang said.
Still, faculty and alumni need more support from administrators, some warned —all the way from the presidents at the top, said Wolfson, the national AAUP president.
“I think they need to be bold,” Wolfson said. “And this is hard to do but I’ll say it anyway: They need to put their institution second, and then need to put higher education — as a critical sector in US society — first.”
