Harvard University received support from Stanford University and Yale University as its legal battle with the Trump administration continues to draw national attention.
Representatives from both schools supported Harvard’s decision to reject the government’s demands to rid the institution of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies amid other directives.
“Universities need to address legitimate criticisms with humility and openness. But the way to bring about constructive change is not by destroying the nation’s capacity for scientific research, or through the government taking command of a private institution,” Stanford president Jonathan Levin and provost Jenny Martinez wrote in a Tuesday statement.
“Harvard’s objections to the letter it received are rooted in the American tradition of liberty, a tradition essential to our country’s universities, and worth defending,” the two added.
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and its Cambridge campus chapter launched a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Saturday in an effort to block the removal of federal funds from Harvard over unfulfilled demands.
The Department of Education said Monday it would freeze approximately $2.2 billion in multiyear grants and $60 million in multiyear contracts for the institution over the school’s alleged failure to combat antisemitism.
“We stand together at a crossroads. American universities are facing extraordinary attacks that threaten the bedrock principles of a democratic society, including rights of free expression, association, and academic freedom,” the Yale AAUP chapter and corresponding faculty wrote in an open letter to the school’s administrators.
They urged leaders to defend free speech, promote university self-governance and proactively work with other colleges and universities in collective defense against political threats.
Former President Obama also slammed the Trump administration for fueling changes to Harvard’s campus structure.
“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions – rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect. Let’s hope other institutions follow suit,” he wrote in a Monday post on X.
Harvard interim president Alan M. Garber said the institution would continue to fight the government’s attempts to influence higher education in America by repealing federal funds.
“The administration’s prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government. It violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI. And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge,” Garber wrote Monday.
“No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” he added.