The Academic Resistance
@academicresistance.bsky.social
Fighting the assault on higher education and science by the Trump administration. Defending science, academic freedom, and the power of knowledge. HANDS OFF HIGHER ED!
🔥 #DefendHigherEd #DefendScience
Run by academics. DM us with tips and resources.
🔥 #DefendHigherEd #DefendScience
Run by academics. DM us with tips and resources.
Stonewalling of records on Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence tells you everything about the deal: if it were about genuine academic freedom and student support, they’d be bragging about it, not hiding emails behind attorney‑client privilege & FOIA delays. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
Public Universities Don’t Want to Discuss the Compact
Institutions have been slow to respond to records requests related to the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” and UT Austin is fighting to withhold records.
www.insidehighered.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Stonewalling of records on Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence tells you everything about the deal: if it were about genuine academic freedom and student support, they’d be bragging about it, not hiding emails behind attorney‑client privilege & FOIA delays. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
Faculty senates are under attack from new legislation that sidelines faculty voices and undermines academic freedom. The latest AAUP report defends independent, representative governance as essential to higher ed’s integrity. @aaup.org academeblog.org/2025/11/18/i...
In Defense of an Independent and Representative Faculty Voice: The Case of Faculty Senates
BY AFSHAN JAFAR We have recently seen accelerating legislative and political attacks on faculty governing bodies at state institutions, including legislation recently enacted in Indiana, Ohio, Utah…
academeblog.org
November 21, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Faculty senates are under attack from new legislation that sidelines faculty voices and undermines academic freedom. The latest AAUP report defends independent, representative governance as essential to higher ed’s integrity. @aaup.org academeblog.org/2025/11/18/i...
The Trump admin is breaking up the Department of Education, selling off programs to other agencies, leading to confusion and creating barriers for students and families, especially those who depend on federal support for college access, child care, and special education. 19thnews.org/2025/11/depa...
‘Selling off the Department of Education for parts’: The agency’s major overhaul faces fierce backlash
The Trump administration’s restructuring plan will create “more confusion, more mistakes and more barriers” for students and families in need of support, advocates say.
19thnews.org
November 20, 2025 at 7:27 PM
The Trump admin is breaking up the Department of Education, selling off programs to other agencies, leading to confusion and creating barriers for students and families, especially those who depend on federal support for college access, child care, and special education. 19thnews.org/2025/11/depa...
The Dept. of Ed’s new student loan rulemaking sets new limits for grad & professional students, tightens Parent PLUS borrowing, shifts repayment plans, & improves default rehab. Big changes coming July 2026. www.newamerica.org/education-po...
Five Take-Aways From the Department of Education’s Student Loan Rulemaking
The provisions in OBBBA and a set of forthcoming regulations make significant changes to how both the front end and the back end of the student loan system work. Students and borrowers will now have d...
www.newamerica.org
November 20, 2025 at 1:40 PM
The Dept. of Ed’s new student loan rulemaking sets new limits for grad & professional students, tightens Parent PLUS borrowing, shifts repayment plans, & improves default rehab. Big changes coming July 2026. www.newamerica.org/education-po...
Reposted by The Academic Resistance
“If there is a message to be heeded in the legislative assault on governance bodies, it is that the enemies of higher education, nonetheless, still fear faculty authority. Why else would they be so insistent on silencing faculty members?”
#DefendHigherEd
#DefendHigherEd
November 19, 2025 at 6:46 PM
“If there is a message to be heeded in the legislative assault on governance bodies, it is that the enemies of higher education, nonetheless, still fear faculty authority. Why else would they be so insistent on silencing faculty members?”
#DefendHigherEd
#DefendHigherEd
Legislators in states like TX, OH, IN & UT are passing laws to strip faculty governance, making it easier for politicians—not educators—to dictate curriculum. AAUP warns: Silencing faculty threatens academic freedom and the future of higher ed. www.theeduledger.com/faculty-staf...
AAUP Report Warns of Growing Legislative Threats to Faculty Governance Nationwide
New analysis highlights attacks on faculty senates in Texas, Indiana, Ohio, and Utah as undermining academic freedom and institutional integrity.
https://www.theeduledger.com/faculty-staff/article/15772122/aaup-report-warns-of-growing-legislative-threats-to-faculty-governance-nationwide
November 19, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Legislators in states like TX, OH, IN & UT are passing laws to strip faculty governance, making it easier for politicians—not educators—to dictate curriculum. AAUP warns: Silencing faculty threatens academic freedom and the future of higher ed. www.theeduledger.com/faculty-staf...
Trump’s ED isn’t just laying people off; it’s hollowing out higher ed by shipping TRIO, HBCU/MSI, Fulbright-Hays, tribal college, and other grants to Labor, State, and Interior while moving to defund them as redundant. This is dismantling, not streamlining. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
McMahon Breaks Up More of the Education Department
Trump officials announced six agreements with four agencies to take over some of ED’s responsibilities.
www.insidehighered.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Trump’s ED isn’t just laying people off; it’s hollowing out higher ed by shipping TRIO, HBCU/MSI, Fulbright-Hays, tribal college, and other grants to Labor, State, and Interior while moving to defund them as redundant. This is dismantling, not streamlining. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
US colleges saw a 17% drop in new international student enrollment this fall, driven by declining grad enrollment and harsh visa rules. That’s over $1.1B lost & 23,000 fewer jobs. International students fuel innovation and help campuses thrive. Policy matters. www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...
Fewer International Students Came to the U.S. This Fall
Nearly a year into the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and visas, data reveals that new international student enrollment is down 17 percent since last fall.
www.insidehighered.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:00 PM
US colleges saw a 17% drop in new international student enrollment this fall, driven by declining grad enrollment and harsh visa rules. That’s over $1.1B lost & 23,000 fewer jobs. International students fuel innovation and help campuses thrive. Policy matters. www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...
Trump's proposed $980M cut to federal work-study programs would slash support for students working to offset college costs, hurting access, equity, and campus jobs. Attacks on student aid threaten opportunity for those who need it most. theconversation.com/trumps-propo...
Trump’s proposed cuts to work study threaten to upend a widely supported program that helps students offset college costs
Federal work study creates opportunities for students and universities alike. But the program’s challenges go beyond the potential government funding cuts.
theconversation.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Trump's proposed $980M cut to federal work-study programs would slash support for students working to offset college costs, hurting access, equity, and campus jobs. Attacks on student aid threaten opportunity for those who need it most. theconversation.com/trumps-propo...
Reposted by The Academic Resistance
The AAUP condemns proposals before the Texas A&M Board of Regents that require the college president to approve “course content & materials” for courses that cover topics on “race, gender ideology, or gender identity.”
Full statement:
aaup-texas.org/blog/f/natio...
@texasaaup.bsky.social
Full statement:
aaup-texas.org/blog/f/natio...
@texasaaup.bsky.social
National AAUP Demands End to Texas A&M Censorship
JOIN: Join Texas AAUP and here are several reasons to join
aaup-texas.org
November 11, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The AAUP condemns proposals before the Texas A&M Board of Regents that require the college president to approve “course content & materials” for courses that cover topics on “race, gender ideology, or gender identity.”
Full statement:
aaup-texas.org/blog/f/natio...
@texasaaup.bsky.social
Full statement:
aaup-texas.org/blog/f/natio...
@texasaaup.bsky.social
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act threatens academic health systems with tighter budgets, as patients lose coverage and hospitals bear more unpaid care. This could slow hiring and reduce staff, jeopardizing care & training. A grave concern for healthcare's future. www.theeduledger.com/leadership-p...
A Grave Concern: One Big Beautiful Bill Act Will Have a Debilitating Effect on Academic Health Systems, Some Stakeholders Say
The mass loss of health care coverage will ultimately shrink the size and capabilities of the health care workforce. These imminent fiscal challenges come at a time when the U.S. is already facing a p...
www.theeduledger.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:58 PM
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act threatens academic health systems with tighter budgets, as patients lose coverage and hospitals bear more unpaid care. This could slow hiring and reduce staff, jeopardizing care & training. A grave concern for healthcare's future. www.theeduledger.com/leadership-p...
Federal higher ed data at risk: with the Dept. of Ed gutted & NCES threatened with relocation, collaboration is harder and quality could slip. Even small new grants, like the $4.5M “Seedlings to Scale” program, are just a drop in an $800M bucket. Data matters. hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
Advocates warn of risks to higher ed data if Education Department is shuttered
But new hires and fresh research grants hint at a quiet rebuilding effort
hechingerreport.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Federal higher ed data at risk: with the Dept. of Ed gutted & NCES threatened with relocation, collaboration is harder and quality could slip. Even small new grants, like the $4.5M “Seedlings to Scale” program, are just a drop in an $800M bucket. Data matters. hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
America’s longest shutdown is crushing higher ed. Research halted, SNAP cut, military students stranded, and faculty left with soaring costs. Exhaustion grows as students and staff face uncertainty, with no end in sight. www.insidehighered.com/news/busines...
Higher Ed Feels “Cumulative Exhaustion” of Longest Shutdown
Worries about access to health care, food, research funding and tuition assistance are mounting on college campuses as the record-breaking government shutdown persists.
www.insidehighered.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:43 PM
America’s longest shutdown is crushing higher ed. Research halted, SNAP cut, military students stranded, and faculty left with soaring costs. Exhaustion grows as students and staff face uncertainty, with no end in sight. www.insidehighered.com/news/busines...
Reposted by The Academic Resistance
"When we sound the alarm, we call others to take action alongside us. The time for urgent response is here. Together, higher education can take coordinated steps to defend our institutions & community members."
Now is the time to speak out and build coalitions on our campuses!
#defendhighered
Now is the time to speak out and build coalitions on our campuses!
#defendhighered
Higher Ed Must Take Action on Immigration Policy (opinion)
Higher ed must take decisive action to counter the Trump administration’s harmful immigration policies.
www.insidehighered.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:41 PM
"When we sound the alarm, we call others to take action alongside us. The time for urgent response is here. Together, higher education can take coordinated steps to defend our institutions & community members."
Now is the time to speak out and build coalitions on our campuses!
#defendhighered
Now is the time to speak out and build coalitions on our campuses!
#defendhighered
Trump’s new EO lets political appointees decide which federal research grants get funded, threatening peer review, scientific innovation, & academic freedom. This drives scientists and vital research overseas, undermining the U.S. as a global leader in science. www.highereddive.com/news/researc...
‘End of an era’: Experts warn research executive order could stifle scientific innovation
The directive gives President Donald Trump’s political appointees oversight of grant awards to align them with the administration’s priorities.
www.highereddive.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Trump’s new EO lets political appointees decide which federal research grants get funded, threatening peer review, scientific innovation, & academic freedom. This drives scientists and vital research overseas, undermining the U.S. as a global leader in science. www.highereddive.com/news/researc...
States must step up as federal college aid collapses: new Ed Trust report exposes huge affordability gaps for Black & low-income students. With Pell Grants slashed and costs soaring, state investment is now crucial for access, equity, and economic growth. www.theeduledger.com/leadership-p...
States Must Step Up as Federal College Aid Crumbles, New Report Warns
The report from The Education Trust examines state financial aid programs in Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota, revealing that while some states are making progress, critical gaps remain in helping stu...
www.theeduledger.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:50 PM
States must step up as federal college aid collapses: new Ed Trust report exposes huge affordability gaps for Black & low-income students. With Pell Grants slashed and costs soaring, state investment is now crucial for access, equity, and economic growth. www.theeduledger.com/leadership-p...
The Trump admin’s Title VI crackdown on universities is more about ideological control than civil rights. Using antisemitism as a pretext to pull billions in funding sets a dangerous precedent, threatening research and academic freedom across higher ed. www.highereddive.com/news/title-v...
The legal debate over Trump’s Title VI campus crackdown
Recent enforcement actions have set off high-stakes arguments about whether the federal government is weaponizing the civil rights law.
www.highereddive.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:53 PM
The Trump admin’s Title VI crackdown on universities is more about ideological control than civil rights. Using antisemitism as a pretext to pull billions in funding sets a dangerous precedent, threatening research and academic freedom across higher ed. www.highereddive.com/news/title-v...
New FIRE survey reveals faculty targeted for speech face little public support from unions, admins, and colleagues leading to emotional distress, job loss, even fear for safety. Academic freedom feels increasingly insecure. Where’s solidarity when it counts? www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...
Sanctioned Faculty Find Little Public Support: FIRE Survey
Scholars targeted for their speech report emotional distress, low confidence in academic freedom on their campuses and little public support from administrators and unions, according to a new survey f...
www.insidehighered.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:53 PM
New FIRE survey reveals faculty targeted for speech face little public support from unions, admins, and colleagues leading to emotional distress, job loss, even fear for safety. Academic freedom feels increasingly insecure. Where’s solidarity when it counts? www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...
Reposted by The Academic Resistance
“By narrowing who counts, what knowledge survives, & whose voices are heard, it strikes at the very conditions of civic life. To dismantle universities is not simply to shutter classrooms or cut research; it is to strip away our collective memory of the past & narrow the horizons of the future.”
October 28, 2025 at 3:33 PM
“By narrowing who counts, what knowledge survives, & whose voices are heard, it strikes at the very conditions of civic life. To dismantle universities is not simply to shutter classrooms or cut research; it is to strip away our collective memory of the past & narrow the horizons of the future.”
Higher ed leaders are fighting for an exemption from Trump’s new $100K H-1B visa fee, warning it will undermine international student access, research, and critical university functions. This policy threatens the excellence and innovation of US colleges. www.highereddive.com/news/higher-...
Higher ed groups push for colleges to be exempt from $100K H-1B visa fee
The American Council on Education led a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that argues these visa holders perform vital work.
www.highereddive.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Higher ed leaders are fighting for an exemption from Trump’s new $100K H-1B visa fee, warning it will undermine international student access, research, and critical university functions. This policy threatens the excellence and innovation of US colleges. www.highereddive.com/news/higher-...
Despite headlines doubting its value, new data shows a college degree still delivers strong payoffs for students and all of society. College grads earn about $1.2M more over their lifetimes, boost the economy, give back more, and strengthen our communities. theconversation.com/despite-nays...
Despite naysayers and rising costs, data shows that college still pays off for students – and society overall
A recent survey shows a dramatic drop in people who consider a college degree to be very important from 2010 to this year.
theconversation.com
October 28, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Despite headlines doubting its value, new data shows a college degree still delivers strong payoffs for students and all of society. College grads earn about $1.2M more over their lifetimes, boost the economy, give back more, and strengthen our communities. theconversation.com/despite-nays...
The Trump “compact” forces universities to surrender academic freedom, diversity, and student access—all for federal dollars. This is a corrupt, unconstitutional power grab that endangers the future of higher education in America. Reject this sellout. www.theeduledger.com/opinion/arti...
Selling Out Students for Federal Dollars: How Trump’s Compact Corrupts Higher Education
Put simply, the compact is forcing college to sell out their students and institutional integrity for an unenforceable, unpredictable future promise of federal research dollars.
www.theeduledger.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:14 PM
The Trump “compact” forces universities to surrender academic freedom, diversity, and student access—all for federal dollars. This is a corrupt, unconstitutional power grab that endangers the future of higher education in America. Reject this sellout. www.theeduledger.com/opinion/arti...
"7 of 9 top universities just told Trump’s so-called ‘Compact for Academic Excellence’ to take a hike. Merit over MAGA mandates, thanks. Free speech & real science > political pay-for-play. The era of academic autonomy isn’t up for auction. www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...
Reading Between the Lines on Compact Responses
Universities that rejected the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education emphasized merit in their responses and highlighted core values in turning it down.
www.insidehighered.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:30 PM
"7 of 9 top universities just told Trump’s so-called ‘Compact for Academic Excellence’ to take a hike. Merit over MAGA mandates, thanks. Free speech & real science > political pay-for-play. The era of academic autonomy isn’t up for auction. www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...
President Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence” is a direct threat to academic freedom with forced “viewpoint diversity” quotas and institutional gag rules. University independence shouldn’t depend on loyalty pledges or political litmus tests. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
How the Compact Curtails Academic Freedom (opinion)
The Trump administration’s proposed compact with colleges would violate academic freedom and freedom of expression in three broad areas.
www.insidehighered.com
October 23, 2025 at 12:46 PM
President Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence” is a direct threat to academic freedom with forced “viewpoint diversity” quotas and institutional gag rules. University independence shouldn’t depend on loyalty pledges or political litmus tests. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
Reposted by The Academic Resistance
"If Kirk interacted with students in a classroom the way he does in the videos I watched, he would be exposed immediately as a terrible teacher. At any college or university that cared about quality teaching & the intellectual growth of its students, Kirk would have been sent packing in a hurry."
October 20, 2025 at 2:09 PM
"If Kirk interacted with students in a classroom the way he does in the videos I watched, he would be exposed immediately as a terrible teacher. At any college or university that cared about quality teaching & the intellectual growth of its students, Kirk would have been sent packing in a hurry."