The New York Times, NO. 9
An
authoritarian tries to take over universities. Trump has started to.
Authoritarians,
recognizing that universities are hotbeds of independent thought and political
dissent, often single them out for repression. Mr. Putin and Mr. Erdogan have
closed universities. Mr. Modi’s government has arrested dissident scholars,
while Mr. Orban has appointed loyalist foundations to run universities.
A
signature policy of Mr. Trump’s second term has been his attack on higher
education. He has cut millions of dollars of
research funding, tried to dictate hiring and admissions
policies and forced the resignation of the University of
Virginia’s president. It is a sustained campaign to weaken an influential
sector home to many political progressives who do not support him — and to many
young people, who typically form the crux of anti-authoritarian protest movements.
The Bottom
Line
Because the federal government finances so much academic research, it has
considerable power over universities. Initially, some universities seemed as if
they might simply submit to Mr. Trump’s demands. More recently, several showed
more willingness to resist, rejecting a proposal that would have rewarded them
financially for adopting Trump-friendly policies.
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