How University Presidents Are Responding to Federal Higher Education Pressures in a Low-Key Manner
Against the backdrop of increased federal pressure on higher education, outsiders question whether university presidents are silent and inactive. However, Marjorie Hass, chair of the Council of Independent Colleges, based on frontline observations, points out that presidents are actively resisting through various means such as refusing to preemptively comply, legal challenges, and legislative lobbying, with strategies focused more on effectiveness than on public statements.
Marjorie Hass is the president of the Council of Independent Colleges.
"Where are the college presidents?" That is a question heard frequently in recent weeks as federal attacks on higher education have escalated. The lack of publicly visible protest from institutional leaders has prompted speculation about their passivity.
But I have seen firsthand that presidents—at least those I know leading independent, mission-centered institutions—are indeed fighting back. The relative scarcity of public statements is not, as some suggest, a sign of cowardice. Many college presidents have correctly judged that quiet resistance is a more effective strategy than public protest.
The media has portrayed recent presidential executive orders and Department of Education letters as threats to institutions, but the most immediate harm falls on students.
Students' freedom to learn and assemble is being violated. Students face the threat of losing federal Pell Grants and work-study opportunities. When programs essential to their academic success are shut down because they might involve a word or concept the current administration dislikes, students are the losers. When public service careers they were preparing for announce hiring freezes, students are the losers. When research labs where they intern lose funding, students are the losers as well.
Campus presidents know well that in the current environment, public protest can backfire, inviting the wrath of those with power to target individual students and individual campuses. For campus leaders, avoiding harm to the most vulnerable members of their community is a paramount consideration right now. Yet for many, resistance is active, effective, and takes many forms.
Many presidents are holding the line, refusing to preemptively comply with vague and harmful executive orders that have not yet been tested in court. They are making numerous difficult decisions to continue educating students whose families face deportation or job loss. They are counseling students whose careers have been derailed and raising funds to replace threatened federal scholarships. They are taking calls from anxious parents, serving as a steady anchor in the chaos, and explaining to their communities the impact of these attacks on teaching and research.
Beyond campus work, many presidents are actively influencing the space that remains in legislative politics. Over the past few weeks, hundreds or even thousands of higher education leadershave appeared on Capitol Hill, meeting with members of Congress and urging immediate action. Thousands more are contacting state and local representatives, advocating for students at every level of government.
Presidents are also actively supporting legal challenges—so far, the most effective way to stop unlawful and unconstitutional executive orders. They are providing necessary evidence and information to organizations filing lawsuits and developing strategy with civil rights lawyers. Some are participating as named parties, while others are drawn into litigation through the higher education organizations to which they belong.
College presidents are not a monolith. Contrary to popular impression, their political views are not all the same. So it is no surprise that their approaches vary. But the presidents I know are all deeply concerned with protecting what is essential to student success: financial aid, an atmosphere of free inquiry, support for students of all identities, and freedom of speech.
There may be more op-eds and marches in the future—and indeed some presidents are engaging in those forms of protest. But for now, for many, resistance seems to be the more effective path. It is quieter, and often more hidden. So far, that is where much of the real action in higher education is taking place.