The AIM Committee and Education Department are considering proposals to limit the freedom to teach, learn, and research. We asked experts about the potential impact. Spoiler alert: long-term prosperity, intellectual diversity, democracy, and access to knowledge are at risk.

Insightful commentary from Alliance Knowledge for Democracy Collective member @cantb.bsky.social on the future of our public research universities, which serve as essential economic and civic engines for the nation

In this @usnews.com op-ed @garceslm.bsky.social (@alliancehighered.bsky.social), Eliza Epstein (@utaustin.bsky.social) and @jackiepedota.bsky.social (@umassboston.bsky.social) draw on forthcoming research to argue that anti-DEI laws narrow what students and communities are allowed to know.

"And while it makes sense that college administrators are hesitant to push back, Cain, of Georgia, hopes the data reminds them they cannot shy away in fear. Rather, if higher ed leaders want American academia to survive, they must prioritize a coordinated response to the criticism." bit.ly/42QWBcV

Big thank you to @modernlanguage.bsky.social, @historians.org and ALCS who won a case on the side of knowledge, and fair opportunity. Because when we talk about the humanities and diversity, equity, and inclusion, we are talking about the infrastructure of a multiracial democracy.

Proud of our SUNY Maritime cadets for charting a course that powers both opportunity and national service. They’re taking what they’ve learned at SUNY and turning it into high-impact, high-demand careers right out of the gate. www.npr.org/2026/05/09/n...

In order for democracy to thrive higher ed needs to be free from partisan influence, students must have the freedom to learn, and for all people to thrive as a result of better access to college. Read more of @michaelhgavin.bsky.social interview: collegewatch.substack.com/p/seeking-st...

Avoiding identity in curriculum is segregationist, and what the Trump administration called its 'secret weapon' in on its way to being deployed. Consider following @alliancehighered.bsky.social for details on what you can do.

“This victory belongs to the scholars, students, colleges, universities, associations, state humanities councils, libraries, and local organizations in all 50 states..." said @acls1919.bsky.social President Joy Connolly. “[The humanities] are how a democracy understands itself.” 👏 bit.ly/4w7C5ls

The WH's budget proposal is a non-starter, but as the federal budget process moves ahead, institutions will need to quickly understand potential threats and opportunities and share those with stakeholders and boards. We've developed a toolkit to help. allianceforhighered.org/resources/me...

When scholars are pressured to scale back, reframe or hide their work, students inevitably feel the consequences... [They] lose access to the intellectual knowledge and personal support systems that help them understand and succeed within a racially diverse society..." www.usnews.com/opinion/arti...

"I have so much hope for this country.... There's a lot more people who believe in students, who believe in the mission of higher ed than you may feel." Thank you @stuaffairsnow.bsky.social for hosting @michaelhgavin.bsky.social and Liliana M. Garces for this timely conversation about our work!

Attacking the NSF, one of the nation's most powerful sources of knowledge creation and innovation, is anti-democratic and will throttle freedom, opportunity, and life-saving discovery.

@bmckib.bsky.social Bryce McKibben and I offer an analysis of the next way in which financial aid is being used as a weapon. The @alliancehighered.bsky.social has many resources and toolkits explaining other ways federal funding is being weaponized and what you can do.

"Our sector would be wise to ask why, in other areas of our institutions, we place mistakes and innovation in the continuous improvement lens, but with equity, we have been quite willing to let it be thrown out."

When organizations fight against re-segregation and for democracy, they win. Thank you Democracy Forward, @aaup.org, and National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education for you leadership--my statement in support. #highered #edusky #DEI #academicfreedom #democracy

Fair opportunity for students, and higher ed's role as the fifth pillar of democracy, requires financial aid to remain a tool for support, not a politicized weapon. @michaelhgavin.bsky.social and the Hope Center for Student Basic Needs discuss a new package of federal bills. bit.ly/3QvETZz

Headlines saying this Supreme Court decision "curtails the use of race" in voting are going to make me have a stroke. It empowers white supremacy. It does not curtail the use of race.

State legislators, @michaelhgavin.bsky.social said, are “continuously just using money as a weapon to ideologically control the sector.”

A profound threat to one of America's world-dominating industries, which makes us richer and healthier (higher ed) academic-freedom-index.net/research/Aca...

@alliancehighered.bsky.social has a host of resources for institutions and their stakeholders to confront issues like this. allianceforhighered.org/resources www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

State-level brain drains will throttle business and knowledge creation, limit access to learning for students, and make states less competitive as the US cedes its global leadership. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

"Rebuilding public trust in higher ed and reclaiming its role as the 5th pillar of democracy goes beyond saying more positive things more frequently to more audiences. We need to work toward practicing radical localism and operational transparency," writes @michaelhgavin.bsky.social bit.ly/3OAu1sG

Fabulous conversation, insights, and action shots 👇

Nice overview of our talk yesterday! I'll do a lil mini thread. Also, my mama is gonna love this action shot of me talking. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Great to be back at New America for a visit. Kicking off today’s event on “Where Higher Ed Goes From Here” With the new Alliance for Higher Education @educationwork.newamerica.org

Thank you for joining us for this riveting (yes, really!) conversation!

Lee Bollinger pres emeritus of @columbiauniversity.bsky.social - we are in an authoritarian moment when legal and cultural norms are being violated. With Title VI, antisemitism was a pretext to go after higher Ed specifically BECAUSE universities are places where independent knowledge is developed

State legislatures are overreaching and attacking the autonomy of colleges and universities—and the curriculum allowed to be taught—in order to achieve political goals. That was one of many takeaways from the panelists at our April webinar. allianceforhighered.org/newsroom/aut...

Elite higher ed has many problems, but the key factor driving down trust is political. Look at the graph - backlash against costs, admissions, etc. can't explain the changes we see. We should still reform our institutions and refocus on our core mission, but blindly blaming ourselves is abuser logic

🗣️Most students go to excellent and affordable regional two- and four-year colleges within 50 miles of their home!

Today, #HigherEd is facing an authoritarian challenge—and the old playbook for defending it isn’t enough. Next week, the @alliancehighered.bsky.social will join our director @kevincarey1.bsky.social to “radically re-imagine” the role of American universities. 💡 www.newamerica.org/events/the-f...

Join us and @newamerica.org on 4/21 for a conversation about the role of higher ed as the fifth pillar of democracy and how building a durable defense for the sector requires embedding that principle in law, institutional culture, and the public imagination. Learn more and register: bit.ly/4tawBV9

Join us and @newamerica.org on 4/21 for a conversation about the role of higher ed as the fifth pillar of democracy and how building a durable defense for the sector requires embedding that principle in law, institutional culture, and the public imagination. Learn more and register: bit.ly/4tawBV9

I’m very happy to be one of the inaugural Alliance For Higher Education fellows. Higher ed faces some unprecedented challenges and it is an all-hands-on-deck moment for folks working to protect the field.

Honored to be part of this dedicated crew of scholars

We are proud to launch the Alliance Fellowship Program and inaugural cohort of fellows! The Program includes scholars from across the country and is an investment in the sector's infrastructure, designed to bridge the gap between scholarly research and systems-level change. 🔗 bit.ly/4vpDx2t

Join @insidehighered.com editor Colleen Flaherty and an exceptional panel, including Amanda Fuchs Miller, Jack Corby, and the Alliance's Tia McNair, for discussion on the recently released IHE Survey of College and University Presidents 📅 4/14 at 2pm ET 🔗 access.ihenow.com/2026-survey-...

"'The federal admin has made clear that it seeks to assert ideological control over higher education—attacking the creation and dissemination of knowledge, as well as who has access to it,' said @michaelhgavin.bsky.social, CEO of the Alliance for Higher Ed." www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

Making tenure count, for MSNOW I wrote about my employer, The University of Iowa, creating a center for intellectual freedom. It's a reactionary project built on decades of conservative propaganda about higher ed.

Alexa, play on repeat: 1. Propose illegal laws 2. Coerce institutions to change operations and policies 3. Laws are struck down in court 4. Goal of compliance is achieved regardless

SUNY Chancellor John B. King @sunychancellor.bsky.social announces SUNY's "absolute & unwavering commitment" to DEI: "Some are cowering & backing away. We cannot and will not. We will not retreat, we will not back down... DEI is in our DNA." Super grateful & proud to teach @ SUNY!

"Rebuilding public trust in higher ed and reclaiming its role as the fifth pillar of democracy requires going beyond saying more positive things more frequently to more audiences. We need to work toward practicing radical localism and operational transparency." www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

Community colleges train teachers, firefighters, and Nobel laureates. They are powerful and accessible engines of opportunity and democracy. "We are Statues of Liberty," @michaelhgavin.bsky.social told @aacu.org. "We welcome everybody in.” www.aacu.org/liberaleduca...

1/ Bloomberg is reporting on ED’s proposed new guidelines for accreditation. If an active, they would upend the accreditation system as we know it. They appear to have at least two important goals. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The constellation of states across the US asserting ideological control over higher ed continues to grow. James Orlick, a member of the Alliance's Knowledge for Democracy Collective, highlights KY's latest attack: www.kentucky.com/opinion/arti...

The authoritarianism playbook relies on the threat of investigations creating compliance, regardless of the law. The Alliance's Liliana M. Garces spoke with The Texas Tribune about her research and the state's new, and very opaque, Office of the Ombudsman. www.texastribune.org/2026/04/03/t...

Important for all of us to know what is happening in accreditation--it is a April 6 at 4:00pm ET: Accreditation at a Crossroads: Federal Action, Institutional Impact, and Equity Considerations. Registration link: zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Join @uscpullias.bsky.social researchers for this #AERA2026 conference session. pullias.usc.edu/meet-the-pul... @uscrossier.bsky.social, @royeljohnsonphd.bsky.social, @tlstrayhorn.bsky.social

Join us for a critical discussion about political efforts to mandate, prohibit, and review required college courses, with a focused look at Iowa’s far-reaching action to control public higher education and general education curriculum. 📅 April 14, 2026, 1 – 2 PM ET 🔗 Register: bit.ly/41DaU3X