Published on : May 16, 2025
Joint Statement
The longstanding partnership between the federal government and colleges and universities has made American higher education the envy of the world and an engine of national progress and prosperity. All Americans, whether they went to college or not, have benefited from this compact. The results are embedded in the smartphones they hold in their hands, the cars they drive, the medical care they receive when they need it most, and the inventions that power our world-leading economy.
The undersigned associations represent those colleges and universities and the communities they serve. On behalf of tens of millions of students, educators, researchers, and administrators nationwide, we oppose recent government actions that jeopardize this partnership. We urge the administration to work with us to reforge this compact and advance our shared national interests.
The entire country benefits when policymakers and higher education leaders respect a common understanding of the vital role colleges and universities play in advancing the social, cultural, and economic well-being of the United States. Institutions welcome and support students from all backgrounds; compete to train and support the best researchers; and work to meet the needs of our government and the public. In turn, the government has always respected the rights of campuses, enshrined in law, to decide whom they enroll, what they teach, and how they choose to teach. This balance is dangerously disrupted when billions of dollars in funding for education and competitively awarded research grants are held hostage for political reasons and without due process. Release of funds obligated to institutions should not be conditioned on which students universities admit, what kinds of academic programs they offer, and how they organize and oversee their faculty. Campuses should not be attacked for building communities that reflect their missions and the broad diversity of this country. Students and scholars should not fear deportation just for exercising their right to speak freely.
There is a better way.
Higher education can and must improve to earn and maintain the public’s trust. But political attacks against higher education only divide and weaken us all. We call on the administration to join with colleges and universities to move forward by renewing and expanding the partnership that is essential for building a stronger America.
Signatories:
- Achieving the Dream
- ACPA-College Student Educators International
- American Association of Colleges and Universities
- American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing
- American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
- American Association of Community Colleges
- American Association of University Professors
- American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges
- American College Health Association
- American Council on Education
- Association for Institutional Research
- Association for Student Conduct AdministrationAssociation for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
- Association for the Study of Higher Education
- Association of American Law Schools
- Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
- Association of College and University Housing Officers-International
- Association of College Unions International
- Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges
- Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
- Association of Research Libraries
- Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry
- Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health
- Association on Higher Education and Disability
- Campus Compact
- Complete College America
- Council for Advancement and Support of Education
- Council for Higher Education Accreditation
- Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education
- Council of Graduate Schools
- Council on Social Work Education
- EDUCAUSE
- Higher Education Loan Coalition
- Higher Learning Commission
- Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- NAFSA: Association of International Educators
- NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
- National Association for College Admission Counseling
- National Association of Campus Card Users
- National Association of College and University Business Officers
- National Association of Colleges and Employers
- National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education
- National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
- National Council of University Research Administrators
- New England Commission of Higher Education
- NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation
- NODA-Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education
- Phi Beta Kappa Society
- Society for College and University Planning
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- UPCEA
- WASC Senior College and University Commission