Messy Conversations

Compliance or Defiance? Current Threats to Higher Education

Compliance or Defiance? Current Threats to Higher Education

Click here to join the Zoom on 3/3 at 4:00 PM PST!

Conversation Overview

Join us for a timely conversation with a panel of Antioch's administrative leaders about the current threats to higher education, what they might mean for Antioch, and how we can respond given our institutional values and mission.

This Messy Conversation is open only to members of the Antioch community and will not be recorded.

Guests

Sue Byers- Associate Provost AUS

Ryan Kasmier, EdD- Associate Provost AUSB

Mark Hower, PhD.- Provost & CEO, AULA and AUSB- I have been a part of the Antioch community since the year 2000, starting as an associate faculty in Seattle. There, I later chaired the MS Management program and was a founding faculty member of the Center for Creative Change--which supported five graduate programs. I became Provost in LA in 2017.

Additional Resources

Questions re Financial Aid - financialaid@antioch.edu;

Other questions related to our concerns related to these issues - Office of Equity, Belonging, and Culture - shelmspickett@antioch.edu

Accreditors Sound Off on Executive OrderThe Trump administration aims to overhaul accreditation. Agencies say they are willing to work with the federal government on reforms, but Trump’s claims are misleading.

Why Harvard and other colleges are fighting for ‘essential freedom’The oldest university in the United States is now leading a charge to protect not just research but also the First Amendment, with other colleges and universities lining up behind it.

You searched for 7 harmful policies - eCampus News

www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-call-for-constructive-engagement

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-university-is-a-hostage-but-theres-hope

COLUMN: Trump is bullying, blackmailing and threatening colleges, and they are just beginning to fight back - The Hechinger ReportPatricia McGuire has always been an outspoken advocate for her students at Trinity Washington University, a small, Catholic institution that serves largely Black and Hispanic women, just a few miles from the White House. She’s also criticized what she calls “the Trump administration’s wholesale assault on freedom of speech and human rights.” In her 36 […]

https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-a-university-fights-an-authoritarian-regime

Trump is targeting DEI in higher ed. But what does he mean?Colleges are supposed to comply with the administration’s recent guidance by the end of the week. But it’s hard to tell which activities the White House actually opposes.

ACE strikes a fighting stance at annual conferenceAt ACE’s annual conference, higher education leaders noted that they want to find common ground with Trump—but they’re also willing to fight back as he takes aim at the sector.

What DEI hills is higher ed willing to die on?The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has demanded colleges rid themselves of race-conscious practices and programming. What will institutions fight to defend?

Gen Z isn’t buying Black History Month campaigns from brands scaling back on DEI

Anti-DEI guidance from Trump administration misinterprets the law and guts educators’ free speech rightsA letter from the Trump administration warns educational institutions that they’ll lose federal funding if they don’t abandon so-called DEI programs. That could change education in the US.

A case study of what’s ahead with Trump DEI crackdowns: Utah has already cut public college DEI initiativesUtah’s strict laws blocking diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have been playing out to mixed reviews on its flagship campus

In the US, DEI is under attack. But under a different name, it might live onDonald Trump has promised to "terminate" diversity programmes. But a rebrand might yet save them.

U.S. Department of Education Releases Frequently Asked Questions on Dear Colleague Letter About Racial PreferencingThe U.S. Department of Education released Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) in connection with its February 14 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) that notified educational institutions that they must cease using race preferences and stereotypes.

Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration ActionsA public resource tracking the legal challenges to the Trump administration's executive orders and actions.

www.ed.gov/media/document/dear-colleague-letter-sffa-v-harvard-109506.pdf

Donald Trump and Higher Ed: We Answer Your QuestionsJoin us Thursday, March 6 at 1 pm ET to answer the questions our readers and subscribers have been asking about how Trump’s policies might impact them and their work.

Antioch.edu Mail - Understanding Threats to Higher Education.pdf

2025 AUSSS Save the Date.pdf

The Promise of American Higher EducationNo government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue

Why Universities Must Start Litigating—and HowThe litigation would afford schools a high-profile venue in which to detail the Trump administration’s lawlessness and aggression.

Why Do Republicans Want to Dismantle the Education Department?President Trump’s fixation reinvigorated the debate over the role of the federal government in education, and created a powerful point of unity between the factions of his party.

The Impacts of the Recent Executive Orders on NonprofitsAfter his January 20th Inauguration, President Trump signed dozens of executive orders covering a broad range of issues, including diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; government grants and contracts; civic engagement; immigration; and certain nonprofit subsectors. Some of the executive orders won’t take effect immediately, and many are expected to be immediately challenged in court.

Conversation At Hamilton CollegePresident Obama’s conversation with Hamilton College President Steven Tepper on April 3, 2025. The conversation was part of the school’s…

Sample double speak/gaslighting frameworks against higher education

What will higher ed look like after the Department of Education is dismantled?The dismantling of the Department of Education is a moment of disruption, but also one of reinvention for higher education.

https://www.aacu.org/liberaleducation/articles/what-is-at-stake

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-04-16/harvard-professor-dictatorships-trump

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