National Free Speech News & Commentary

Commentary: The Lost Soul of Higher Education

June 24, 2025 1 min read

Scott Gac
Inside Higher Ed

Excerpt: The email from faculty in our would-be 51st state up north confirmed what I’d been suspecting for months: though I’d been selected as the finalist for a Fulbright chair at a Canadian university, the U.S. Department of State refused to approve my file.

It wasn’t a shock—race is at the center of my research. And I know that I am not alone in this Fulbright conundrum. But it was a gut punch. As a faculty member at a liberal arts institution, my access to external support is far more limited than that of colleagues at research institutions. When I am able to look past the personal sting, however, it’s easy to see the move as part of a broader effort—in the form of economic sanctions and ideological surveillance—to shape the expression of ideas and values in American higher education.

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Academic Freedom Was Already Limited at U.S. Service Academies. Then Came Trump.

June 23, 2025 1 min read

Ryan Quinn
Inside Higher Ed

Excerpt: Ever since Harvard and Columbia Universities refused to accede immediately to all of the Trump administration’s demands to change their policies, federal officials have cut off billions of dollars in funding and deployed other heavy-handed approaches to extract compliance.

But when the administration wanted to alter policies at the U.S. service academies, it simply commanded the changes. The orders were a reminder of how differently service academies operate compared to civilian institutions—and an early example of how the Trump administration could win its war against what it dubs DEI faster at these academies than at private or public state universities.

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NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya Speaks to Academic Freedom

June 21, 2025 1 min read

Erin Shaw
Free the Inquiry 

Excerpt: In National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya’s recent interview with Andrew Huberman, Bhattacharya offers criticism of current biomedical research models, an optimistic view of the future of the NIH, and a scathing review of academic freedom at Stanford. The lengthy interview is a worthwhile listen for heterodox thinkers, but if you haven’t got four hours to spare, we bring you a few key takeaways.

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A Harvard Commencement Speaker Mentioned Gaza. The School Refused to Publish Her Speech.

June 20, 2025 1 min read

Akela Lacy
The Intercept

Excerpt: Harvard Divinity School broke precedent by refusing to publish a video of its commencement speech after a speaker went off-script to call attention to the perilous conditions in Gaza, The Intercept has learned.

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‘Justice Will Prevail,’ Mahmoud Khalil Says as He Goes Free on Bail

June 20, 2025 1 min read

Jonah E. Bromwich
New York Times

Excerpt: Mahmoud Khalil, the first pro-Palestinian campus protester detained by the Trump administration, was released on bail Friday, bringing an end to his monthslong imprisonment.

Mr. Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and legal permanent U.S. resident, had been held for 104 days, watching as other students targeted by the administration won favorable rulings and were released on bail. He was denied the opportunity to be present when his wife gave birth to their son in April and he missed his graduation from Columbia.

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What Will Be Left of Higher Ed in Four Years?

June 18, 2025 1 min read

Brendan Cantwell
Chronicle of Higher Education 

Excerpt: A recent report from the consulting firm Deloitte confirms what everyone working in higher education already knows: Donald Trump “brings a layer of complexity to questions of financial sustainability for colleges and universities.” The administration’s dizzying range of punitive measures for academe comes at an inconvenient time: Our institutions are already grappling with diminished state support and a looming demographic cliff.

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