Tag: Alexander

  • Trump Versus Academia, April 25, 2025 (Bryan Alexander)

    Trump Versus Academia, April 25, 2025 (Bryan Alexander)

    Here’s my latest Trump and academia vlog report. If you’re new to this series, these videos are where I summarize what the Trump administration has been doing to higher education, and how colleges and universities have responded. Here are the latest developments since the last video, as of today, April 25, 2025. 

    Previous episodes here:

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  • Joining two anti-Trump events this month (Bryan Alexander)

    Joining two anti-Trump events this month (Bryan Alexander)

    Over the past two weeks I carved out time to participate in two
    anti-Trump in-person events.  In this post I wanted to share some notes
    on the experiences, along with photos.

    Last Thursday, after the regular Future Trends Forum session, my son
    Owain and I went to a local town hall led by our federal representative,
    Democrat Suhas Subramanyam.
    It took place in a community center and was very crowded, packed with
    people.  Before it began I didn’t hear much discussion, but did see some
    folks with anti-Trump and -Musk signs.  I found some seats for Owain
    and I and we each opened up a Google Doc on our phones to take notes.

    Subramanyam took the stage and began with some brief remarks,
    starting with citing the dangers of DOGE. He mentioned working in the United States Digital Service
    during the Obama administration, the unit which DOGE took over as its
    institutional base. Subramanyam described why he voted against the
    continuing resolution to keep the government running and also spoke to
    the humanitarian and governmental problems of firing so many federal
    workers.

    Then it was over to questions. Folks lined up before two (somewhat
    functional) microphones. They told personal stories: of being lifelong
    federal workers, or having family members in those positions, and now
    facing their work being undone or their jobs ruined. Some spoke of
    depending on federal programs (SNAP, Medicare, Medicaid, Social
    Security) and fearing cuts to them.  Several had military experience,
    which won applause from the room. Above all was this seething sense that
    Trump was a brutal and extraordinary threat, that Democrats weren’t
    taking it seriously, and the question: what can we do to fight back?
    Subramanyam listened hard to each one and answered thoughtfully,
    respectfully, often pointing to resources or actions we could take.

    Subramanyam town hall 2025 March 20 questioner leaning forward
    Ever the extrovert, I joined the microphone line right away. I was going
    to ask about threats to higher education, but happily someone else beat
    me to it. The representative offered a positive response, praising the
    work of researchers and teachers, urging us to fight for educators.  So,
    standing in line, I came up with another question.  When my turn came I
    began by thanking the representative for actually doing a real town
    hall meeting, not a scripted thing. I compared this meeting favorably to
    Vermont’s town hall tradition, and mentioned Bernie Sanders as a
    comparable example of someone who also knows how to do a community
    meeting well, and the room erupted in applause.

    So I asked about climate change, how we – academics and everyone –
    can do climate work in this situation. I noted how the crisis was
    worsening, and how Trump was going to make things even more difficult. I
    was impressed to have Subramanyam’s full attention while I spoke.  I
    was equally impressed that he replied by supporting my remarks and work,
    then called for more climate action in the face of Trump’s actions.

    Nobody
    got a photo of me that I know of, so here’s a shot of the
    representative (on right) paying close attention to one resident
    (standing on left).

    (A sign of climate in culture today: people applauded my question.
    After I left the mic, several folks reached out to me – literally – to
    thank me for raising the topic.)

    Returning to that question of what can be done to oppose Trump, Subramanyam and questioners listed these actions:

      • Legal action: filing lawsuits and supporting other people’s.  Getting Democratic politicians to do the same.
      • Congressional investigations into Trump: the Congressman pointed out
        that these can expose administrative malfeasance and build resistance.
      • Flat out resistance to Trump actions. Subramanyam argued that when
        people refuse to comply, the admin sometimes backs down, saying they
        made a mistake.
      • Doing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
        requests to get the feds to cough up documentation. They can slow-walk
        queries or outright refuse, of course, but FOIA can produce results.
      • Phone calls to people in red counties. (I think this was aimed at calling GOP officials, but am not sure.
      • People telling stories of Trump harms in whatever setting works. At
        one point Subramanyam said if the GOP wants to “flood the zone” with
        bogus content we should flood it right back with true, personal stories.

    There were no calls for property damage or violence against people.
    Nor did anybody used the phrase “civil disobedience” or called for such
    actions.

    The hour grew late and people started to drift out.  Owain and I had to get home and we filed out as well.

    Two weeks ago I joined a different event, a rally for science in Washington, DC
    It took place at the Lincoln Memorial.  Several thousand people were
    there, all ages, races, genders. The mood was upbeat despite the chill
    and strong winds.

    A podium rested on the steps and from there spoke quite the program of luminaries, including Bill Nye (I missed him), Francis Collins (just stepped down as NIH head), Atul Gawande (excellent medical writer, also surgeon), Phil Plait (astronomer, science communicator), and some other people I didn’t recognize. There was some singing, too.

    Dr. Gawande

    The overall theme was that Trump’s science cuts were awful.  Speakers
    hit on points under this header, such as that RFK was a dangerous idiot
    and that research reductions meant that human lives would be harmed and
    lost.  Diversity along race and gender lines was vital.  All kinds of
    science were mentioned, with medicine and public health leading the
    charge.

    The consensus was on returning science funding to what it was under
    Biden, not in expanding it. There were no claims for adding scientific
    overviews to policy – it was a defensive, not offensive program.

    There were plenty of signs.  Some had a fine satirical edge:

    Off to one side – well, down along the reflecting pool – there was an
    Extinction Rebellion performance or group appearance, but I didn’t get
    to see if they staged anything besides looking awesome and grim.

    Stand up for science rally DC 2025 March 7_XR group

    During the time I was there no police appeared. There weren’t any counterprotesters.

    Eventually I had to start the trip home.  As I walked along the
    reflecting pool towards the Metro station I heard speakers continuing
    and the roar of the appreciative crowd.


    What can we take away from these two events?

    There is a fierce opposition to Trump and it occurs across various
    sectors of society, from scientists to everyday folks (with some
    overlap!). Pro-Trump people didn’t appear, so I didn’t see arguments or
    worse between groups. I don’t know if this means that the president’s
    supporters are just confident or prefer to work online.

    The Democratic party is not in a leadership role.  Outrage precedes
    and exceeds its actions so far.  The town hall liked Subramanyam, but it
    was clear they were bringing demands to him, and that he did not back
    the party leadership.

    Both events had a strong positive feel, even though each was based on
    outrage. There was a sense of energy to be exerted, action to be had.

    Many people visibly recorded each event, primarily through phones. I
    didn’t see anyone object to this.  (I tried to get people’s permission
    to photograph them, when they were clearly identifiable individuals.)

    My feel is that climate interest is waning among people who oppose
    Trump.  They aren’t denying it and will support those who speak and act
    on it, but it’s no longer a leading concern.

    Yet these were just two events, a very small sample size, and both in
    roughly the same geographic area, about 50 miles apart.  We can’t
    seriously generalize from this evidence, but hopefully it’s a useful
    snapshot and sample.

    Personally, I found both to be rewarding and supportive. It was good
    to be with people who were similarly outraged and willing to be so in
    public.

    American readers, are you seeing anything similar in your areas?  Non-Americans, what do you think of this glimpse?

    [Editors note: This article first appeared at BryanAlexander.org.]

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  • Short term Trump and long term trends (Bryan Alexander)

    Short term Trump and long term trends (Bryan Alexander)

    Here I look into the past month of Trump’s actions and see how they might shape long-term trends. Specifically I touch on demographics, climate change, populism, technology, and a bit more. It’s a weird way to celebrate my birthday, but hopefully a productive one.

     

     

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  • Campus closures, mergers, cuts, and crises at the start of 2025 (Bryan Alexander)

    Campus closures, mergers, cuts, and crises at the start of 2025 (Bryan Alexander)

    Today, while Trump continues to flood the zone, I want to establish a
    sense of what the higher education baseline was before he cut loose. 
    As the new administration goes even more energetically after academia
    I’d like to share some data about our sector’s standing.

    Last year I tracked cuts and crises afflicting dozens of campuses.  I
    posted roughly every months, noting program cuts, institutional
    mergers, and campus closures, as well as financial crises likely to
    cause same: March 1March 20March 28, April, MayJuneJulySeptember, November. Today I’ll continue that line for the reasons I’ve previously given:
    to document key stories in higher education; to witness human suffering;
    to point to possible directions for academia to take.  In addition, I
    want to help paint a picture of the world Trump is starting to attack.

    Some caveats: I’m doing this in haste, between the political chaos
    and a stack of professional deadlines, which means the following will be
    more telegraphic than usual.  I may well have missed some stories, so
    please let me know in comments.

    Closing colleges and universities

    Philadelphia’s University of the Arts closed in 2024. Now different
    actors are angling for its physical remains.  Temple University purchased an iconic building, Quadro Bay bought another, and while more bids appear.

    Mergers

    Gannon University (Catholic, Pennsylvania) and Ursuline College (Catholic, Ohio) agreed to merge by this December.  The idea is to synthesize complementary academic offers and provide institutional stability, it seems.

    Seattle University (Jesuit, Washington state) and the Cornish College of the Arts (private, Washington) also agreed to merge.  As with the Lake Erie schools, one motivation is to expand curricular offerings:

    Emily Parkhust, Cornish’s interim president, said the deal opens new doors for the tiny school’s nearly 500 students.

    “This strategic combination will allow our students opportunities
    that we simply weren’t able to offer and provide at a small arts
    college,” she said. “Such as the opportunity to take business classes,
    computer courses, pursue master’s degree programs, engage in college
    sports — and even swim in a pool.”

    Financial problems also played a role: “Cornish declared it was undergoing a financial emergency in 2020, and this year, Seattle University paused hiring as it faces a $7.5 million deficit.”

    The Universidad Andres Bello (Universidad Andrés Bello; private, Chile) purchased Post University (for-profit, Connecticut).

    Campuses cutting programs and jobs

    In this series I’ve largely focused on the United States for the
    usual reasons: the sheer size and complexity of the sector; limited
    time. But in my other writing I’ve noted the epochal crisis hitting
    Canadian higher education, as the nation’s decision to cut international
    enrollment has struck institutional finances.   Tony Bates offers a good backgrounder.  Alex Usher’s team set up an excellent website tracking the resulting retrenchment.

    British higher education is also suffering, partly for the reasons
    that nation’s economy is hurting: negative effects of Brexit, energy
    problems stemming from the Ukraine war, and political fecklessness. For
    one example I find the University of Hull (public research) which is combining 17 schools into 11 and ending its chemistry program, all for financial reasons. Cardiff University (Prifysgol Caerdydd; public research) cut 400 full time jobs, also for financial reasons:

    Vice-Chancellor Professor
    Wendy Larner defended the decision to cut jobs, saying the university
    would have become “untenable” without drastic reforms.

    The job role cuts are only a
    proposal, she said, but insisted the university needed to “take
    difficult decisions” due to the declining international student
    applications and increasing cost pressures.

    Prof Larner said the
    university is not alone in its financial struggles, with most UK
    universities grappling with the “broken” funding system.

    Back in the United States, Sonoma State University (public university, part of California State University system) announced a massive series of cuts.

    “approximately 46 university faculty – both tenured and
    adjunct – will receive notice that their contracts will not be renewed
    for 2025-26. Additional lecturers will receive notice that no work will
    be available in fall 2025… Four management positions and 12 staff
    positions also will be eliminated.”

    The university will shut down a group of departments: “Art History,
    Economics; Geology; Philosophy; Theater and Dance; and Women and Gender
    Studies.”

    (These are the kind of cuts I’ve referred to as “queen sacrifices,”
    desperate moves to cut a school’s way to survival.  The term comes from
    chess, where a player can give up their most powerful piece, the queen.
    In my analogy tenured faculty represent that level of relative power.)

    There will be some consolidation (“The college also plans to merge
    the Ethnic Studies departments (American Multicultural Studies, Chicano
    and Latino Studies, and Native American Studies) into one department
    with one major”) along with ending a raft of programs:

    Administrative Services Credential in ELSE; Art
    History BA; Art Studio BFA; Dance BA; Earth and Environmental Sciences
    BA; Economics BA; Education Leadership MA; English MA; French BA;
    Geology BS; German Minor; Global Studies BA; History MA;
    Interdisciplinary Studies BA; Interdisciplinary Studies MA; Philosophy
    BA; Physical Science BA; Physics BA; Physics BS; Public Administration
    MPA; Spanish MA; Theatre Arts BA; Women and Gender Studies BA.

    Additionally, and unusually, SSU is also ending student athletics:
    “The University will be removing NCAA Division II athletics entirely,
    involving some 11 teams in total.”

    What lies behind these cuts?  My readers will not be surprised to learn that enrollment decline plays a role, but might be shocked by the decline’s size: “SSU has experienced a 38% decrease in enrollment.”

    More cuts: St. Norbert College (Catholic, liberal arts, Wisconsin) is planning to cut faculty and its theology department. (I posted about an earlier round of cuts there  in 2024.)  Columbia College Chicago (private, arts) will terminate faculty and academic programs.  Portland State University (Oregon) ended contracts for a group of non-tenure-track faculty.

    The University of New Orleans (public research) will cut $2.2 million of administration and staff.

    The University of Connecticut (public, land grant) is working on closing roughly two dozen academic programs.  According to one account, they include:

    master’s degrees in international studies, medieval
    studies, survey research and educational technology; graduate
    certificates in adult learning, literacy supports, digital media and
    design, dementia care, life story practice, addiction science and survey
    research; a sixth-year certificate in educational technology, and a
    doctoral degree in medieval studies.

    It’s not clear if those terminations will lead to faculty and staff reductions.

    Budget crises, programs cut, not laying off people yet

    There are also stories of campuses facing financial pressures which
    haven’t resulted in cuts, mergers, or closures so far, but could lead to
    those. Saint Augustine’s University (historically black, South Carolina) is struggling to get approval for a campus leasing deal, while moving classes online “to take care of deferred maintenance issues.”  SAU has been facing controversies and financial challenges for nearly a generation.

    The president of another HBCU, Tennessee State University, stated that they would run out of money by this spring.  That Higher Ed Dive article notes:

    TSU’s financial troubles are steep and immediate. An FAQ page on
    the university’s website acknowledges that the financial condition has
    reached crisis levels stemming from missed enrollment targets and
    operating deficits. This fall, the university posted a projected deficit of $46 million by the end of the fiscal year.

    The Middle States Commission on Higher Education agreed to hear an accreditation appeal from Keystone College (private, Pennsylvania), while that campus struggles:

    Keystone college front page 2025 Feb

    From the top of Keystone’s web page right now.

    The board of William Jewell University (private liberal arts, Missouri) declared financial exigency
    This gives them emergency powers to act. As the official statement put
    it, the move “enables reallocation of resources, restructuring of
    academic programs and scholarships and significant reductions in force.”

    Brown University (private research university, Rhode Island) is grappling
    with a $46 million deficit “that would grow to more than $90 million,”
    according to provost Francis J. Doyle III and Executive Vice President
    for Finance and Administration Sarah Latham.  No cuts are in the offing,
    although restraining growth is the order of the day. In addition,
    there’s a plan to increase one sort of program for revenue:

    the university will work to “continue to grow master’s
    [program] revenue, ultimately doubling the number of residential
    master’s students and increasing online learners to 2,000 in five
    years.”

    KQED reports
    that other California State University campuses are facing financial
    stresses, notably Cal State East Bay and San Francisco State
    University.  The entire CSU system and the University of California
    system each face massive cuts from the state’s governor.

    Reflections

    Nearly all of this is occurring before the second Trump
    administration began its work. Clearly parts of the American
    post-secondary ecosystem are suffering financially and in terms of
    enrollment.

    It’s important to bear in mind that each school’s trajectory is
    distinct from the others in key ways. Each has its history, its
    conditions, its competing strategies, resources, micropolitics, and so
    on. Each one deserves more exploration than I have time for in this
    post.

    At the same time I think we can make the case that broader national
    trends are also at work. Operating costs rise for a clutch of reasons
    (consumer inflation, American health care’s shambles, deferred
    maintenance being a popular practice, some high compensation practices,
    etc) and push hard on some budgets. Enrollment continues to be a
    challenge (I will return to this topic in a future post). The Trump
    administration does not seem likely to ameliorate those concerns.

    Note, too, that many of the institutions I’ve touched on here are not
    first tier campuses. The existence of some may be news to some readers.
    As a result, they tend not to get much media attention nor to attract
    resources.   It is important, though, to point them out if we want to
    think beyond academia’s deep hierarchical structures.

    Last note: this post has focused on statistics and bureaucracy, but
    these are all stories about real human beings.  The lives of students,
    faculty, staff and those in surrounding communities are all impacted. 
    Don’t lose sight of that fact or of these people.

    (Seattle University photo by Michael & Sherry Martin; thanks to Karen B on Bluesky, Karen Bellnier otherwise, Mo Pelzel, Peter Shea, and Siva Vaidhyanathan for links; thanks to IHE for doing a solid job of covering these stories)

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