DEFENDING ACADEMIC INTEGRITY ● PROTECTING FACULTY RIGHTS
Defending Higher Education from Existential Threats
Colleagues,
These are not normal times. As organized faculty at CCU, we stand at the forefront of an escalating battle over the very future of higher education. The latest waves of layoffs, funding cuts, and political attacks against our profession threaten not only our institution but the very principles of academic freedom and equity that we uphold.
This week, we assess the devastating impact of mass firings at the Department of Education and the broader consequences of federal defunding, including targeted research funding suspensions at Columbia University. Diversity officers are fighting back against relentless legislative and political pressure, while the NIH budget cuts signal a deeper war on higher education.
We must remain vigilant, united, and proactive in resisting these assaults. Our collective voice is more important than ever.
In Solidarity – Joseph Fitsanakis, PhD, President AAUP/AFT-CCU
Assessing the Impact of Layoffs at the Department of Education. Last Tuesday, the Trump administration fired nearly half of the Education Department’s roughly 4,100 employees, leaving the agency with a skeletal staff of about 2,183. Here is what to expect, as the scope and impact of those layoffs are beginning to take shape.
● The layoffs have hit some offices harder than others, with devastating consequences for the department’s core functions. The Institute of Education Sciences, responsible for data collection and research, was virtually gutted, leaving only a handful of staff members to manage critical national education statistics.
● The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), which oversees student loans and federal financial aid, lost over 300 employees, raising concerns about the agency’s ability to maintain essential services like FAFSA processing and borrower support.
● The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), charged with investigating discrimination complaints, now operates with only five regional offices, a severe blow to student protections.
● Here is what AAUP/AFT is primarily worried about: with fewer staff to monitor compliance, investigate fraud, and guide institutions through evolving regulations, the fallout from these cuts will lead to delays, mismanagement, and a diminished federal role in safeguarding educational equity and access.
The Trump Administration Is Out for Blood. And it Won’t Stop at Columbia. It would be nice to think that the administration was suspending research funding to Columbia out of a genuine concern for the safety of Jewish students there. But it is not, argues David A. Bell.
● The Trump administration’s actions against Columbia University, including the abrupt cancellation of $400 million in research funding, are not rooted in genuine concern for combating antisemitism but rather in a broader effort to dismantle higher education. Despite Columbia’s extensive measures to address antisemitism, the administration’s move disregards legal procedures and appears driven by political vengeance, not policy reform. Bell compares this to McCarthy-era persecution, urging Columbia to fight back in court rather than appease the administration. He warns that this attack won’t stop with Columbia, as other universities are already in the administration’s crosshairs.
● AAUP Condemns Trump Administration’s Punitive Weaponization of Federal Grant Funding at Columbia. The Trump administration has taken the unprecedented move of cancelling $400 million in federal contracts and grants to Columbia University in alleged response to “inaction by Columbia’s administration on antisemitism.” This heavy-handed partisan intrusion into Columbia’s academic, research, and health care operations will damage students’ education, stop progress toward lifesaving biomedical therapies, and harm patients being treated in Columbia’s hospitals.
The Diversity Officers, Under Siege, Dig Their Heels In: “They’re Trying to Make You Afraid of Fighting.” At the 2025 NADOHE conference, diversity officers gathered to strategize against escalating attacks on DEI efforts, fueled by anti-DEI legislation and federal actions.
● Speakers stressed the importance of coalition-building, urging allies to actively support diversity initiatives rather than retreat under pressure. Many DEI professionals, predominantly women and people of color, face job cuts and program eliminations, while universities grapple with balancing legal compliance and inclusive goals. Despite these challenges, attendees emphasized data-driven advocacy, strategic rebranding of DEI work, and national storytelling campaigns to highlight the value of diversity efforts, vowing to persist even as political headwinds grow stronger.
The NIH Cuts Are Part Of An All-Out War On Higher Education. In a presidential administration with an unlimited capacity for chaos, colleges and universities have become targets of this early phase of right-wing assault, argues academic and organizer Dennis Hogan, who teaches in the History and Literature Program at Harvard University.
● “For now, the task of higher education leaders and scientific researchers will be to make the case to lawmakers and the public alike that there is no ivory tower separate from the economy as a whole: Slashing federal support for colleges and universities will make us poorer, sicker, stupider, and more vulnerable. Whatever version of higher ed emerges from the Trump administration will still have to work urgently to expand its base, to open itself up politically, to welcome more students and citizens at more affordable prices“.
AAUP-CCU 