“Our colleges and universities share a commitment to serve as centers of open inquiry where, in their pursuit of truth, faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation,” the letter reads, in part.
The letter calls for “constructive engagement” that serves institutions and the public, and says “the price of abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education” will be paid by students and American society.
“The University of Dayton believes in the importance of both institutional integrity and constructive partnership,” Spina said. “We, as a Catholic, Marianist institution, have an unwavering commitment to fostering a welcoming and safe environment where all students can freely explore their passions and receive a balanced, holistic education. The letter I signed acknowledges that higher education has room for improvement. Our hope is that the federal government will work in partnership with higher ed — as we have for more than 80 years — so that UD and other colleges and universities can continue serving the common good and the future of our society.”
Wittenberg and Antioch did not immediately reply to requests for comment from this news outlet.
Other Ohio higher education presidents who signed onto the letter included:
- John Comerford, Otterbein University
- Carmen Twillie Ambar, Oberlin College
- David L. Kaufman, Capital University
- Julie Kornfeld, Kenyon College
- Matthew P. vandenBerg, Ohio Wesleyan University
- Adam Weinberg, Denison University
- Robert H. Huntington, Heidelberg University
- Anne E. McCall, The College of Wooster
- Melanie Corn, Columbus College of Art & Design.
The letter comes as President Donald Trump’s Republican administration has cut some federal government research funding to private and public universities, including Wright State University, according to records obtained by this news outlet.
While many private universities’ presidents signed the letter, none of Ohio’s public university leaders have done so. The public universities are subject to oversight of their finances by Ohio’s Republican supermajority state government, with the two-year state budget process ongoing.
Some public university presidents in other states did sign the letter, including Santa Ono, president of the University of Michigan (and former president of the University of Cincinnati).
The outcry from university presidents comes at a time when some academics’ right to stay in the United States is at risk. The government has detained or revoked the visas of dozens of people who are either studying at institutions of higher education or working there as researchers or professors, according to reports from multiple outlets, including the Columbus Dispatch and NBC News.
