Commentary: Toward a Democratic Academic Freedom

January 22, 2025 1 min read

Will Clark 
Inside Higher Ed

Excerpt: Right now, fear is taking hold over the threats universities will face from a hostile Trump administration. We’re advised to relinquish diversity as a framework, dismantle recently built DEI infrastructure or emphasize thinking with the enemy. Such postures take the shibboleths attributed to university liberalism and shrink their presence. They capitulate to a right-wing political movement intent on remaking the university in a regressive image. We need not look further than universities in Florida and Indiana to see our future.

But in the coming crisis, our work cannot just be defensive. Rather, our future lies in collective action.

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