Texas Conference of the AAUP

Smithsonian removes Trump from impeachment exhibit in American History Museum A temporary placard, on display since 2021, described the president's historic impeachments. Officials said the exhibit was restored to an earlier version following a review of legacy content.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is now censoring its own exhibits to serve the political goals of the Trump administration. How much longer before we must conclude that it is no longer interpreting American history for the general public? www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Important exposition of events from @jenvictor.bsky.social

"To date there have been eight different federal investigations launched at George Mason University (six since July 1) by three different entities."

Prof. Victor notes: "Universities face enormous collective action problems."

How Scientific Empires End And what it means for America

"Three-fourths of American scientists who responded to a recent poll by the journal Nature said they are considering leaving the country."

www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...

AAUP Letter Supports CUNY Law Professor Ramzi Kassem Yesterday the AAUP sent a letter of support for Ramzi Kassem, a professor of law at the City University of New York singled out by US Representative Elise Stefanik in a recent hearing of the US House ...

The @aaup.org submitted a letter to @cuny.edu leadership supporting the academic freedom & constitutional rights of Prof Ramzi Kassem in response to the outrageous suggestion by Rep. Stefanik that he be disciplined for representing Mahmoud Khalil.

Read it here:

www.aaup.org/news/aaup-le...

The “deal” that Brown made with the Trump admin is much more extreme than is being reported. It includes government oversight of course evaluations and no barrier to government interference in faculty hiring.

Read it for yourself here:

www.brown.edu/sites/defaul...

DOJ Declares Slew of DEI Practices Unlawful in Memo The nine-page memo builds on the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities: “what are described as ‘best practices and nonbinding suggestions’ will likely cause another wave of anticipatory compliance + overcorrection given the climate of fear.”

www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Wondering how to respond to partisan & right-wing Freedom of Information requests at your university?

Look no further! The Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom has a resource just for you—check out their action report & guidelines here⬇️

www.aaup.org/sites/defaul...

DOJ Investigation into George Mason Faculty Senate Sparks Academic Freedom Concerns AAUP President calls federal probe "gross misuse of power" as university faces fifth inquiry in five weeks.

“If the DOJ can investigate faculty governance bodies for citing a university's own strategic plan, then no campus is safe.

"Let's call this what it is: a gross misuse of federal power to chill speech, silence faculty, & undermine shared governance.”

— Todd Wolfson, AAUP President

This administration’s attacks on science will cause generations of harm. The UN just last week said countries are legally obligated to curb emissions, yet this is what we’re doing here in the US.

From racism claims to a $725,000 settlement, a UNT professor's lawsuit mirrors Texas' shifting views on free speech Professor Timothy Jackson was accused of making racist remarks at the height of the racial reckoning that followed George Floyd's murder. His free speech suit against the university comes to an end in...

“Professor Timothy Jackson was accused of making racist remarks at the height of the racial reckoning that followed George Floyd's murder. His free speech suit against the university comes to an end in the era of DEI bans.”

www.texastribune.org/2025/07/30/t...

How Trump Defunded the Higher-Education Police The U.S. Department of Education used to employ people whose job was to stop waste, fraud, and abuse. Now, almost all of their desks are empty.

1/ I wrote for @theatlantic.com about what happened when Trump and Linda McMahon fired half the U.S. Department of Education: Everyone responsible for preventing higher education fraud is now gone. It's open season on students and taxpayers.

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

The Bull Market for Economists Is Over. It’s an Ominous Sign for the Economy.

Struck by this being an "ominous sign for the economy" because "Earning a Ph.D. in economics has long been a reliable path to affluence and prestige. Not anymore."

Why was it a reliable path? Why weren't history jobs disappearing an ominous sign?

Mini thread

Gift: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/b...

How Dartmouth Became the Ivy League’s Switzerland The school has attracted attention for its refusal to join the higher-ed resistance and, perhaps not coincidentally, for its avoidance of any direct sanctions by the Trump Administration.

While peer institutions joined forces to defend academic freedom, Dartmouth stayed silent. Dartmouth’s “institutional restraint” model tries to frames neutrality as academic virtue.

In moments of crisis, silence isn’t neutrality. It’s complicity.

zurl.co/7AyUs


#StandUpForScience

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Tomorrow!! 👏👏

“The recent announcement of the founding of the Commission for Public Higher Education reveals another ‘axis of power’ in the multiwebbed right-wing war on the US university.” The body entails the uni systems of Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A & M + Louisiana.

Texas A&M System’s new leader hints faculty senates in state leaders’ crosshairs will stay In an interview with the Tribune, Chancellor Glenn Hegar also said he would prioritize student outcomes over big projects and skirted questions about diversity and academic freedom.

Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar “ultimately declined to say whether he would defend a professor’s academic freedom and freedom of speech, saying it would depend on the facts of each case.” 👇

www.texastribune.org/2025/07/28/t...

⭐️⭐️ Tonight at 7 CST! A workshop on digital security for international students and scholars. Register below! ⬇️

"As a college professor, watching the dismantling of America’s education system has been among the most discouraging events of my life."
We agree
@aaup.org @higheredlabor.bsky.social

The words Academic Freedom on the Line, A Special Series, AAUP Presents over a photo of books burning. Icon of a microphone in the corner.

Take a deep dive into federal funding and the Trump cuts in the the latest episode of Academic Freedom on the Line, a special series of our podcast AAUP Presents. Listen now and subscribe to hear all the episodes: www.buzzsprout.com/1837772/epis...

With Columbia as a model, White House seeks fines in potential deals with Harvard and others The White House is pursuing heavy fines from Harvard and other universities as part of potential settlements to end investigations into campus antisemitism, according to an administration official fam...

Columbia’s $200M federal fine after an antisemitism probe is a stark threat to academic freedom and university autonomy, signaling dangerous government overreach into campus governance and policy decisions. apnews.com/article/harv...

✴️ Great article about the effects of state and federal attacks on academic freedom at a great public university, The University of Texas at Austin.

Update on Lawsuit to Restore the NEH - AHA American Council of Learned Societies, American Historical Association, and Modern Language Association celebrate Judge Colleen McMahon’s decision for the Authors Guild, putting a stay on the cancella...

@historians.org, @acls1919.bsky.social, and @modernlanguage.bsky.social celebrate Judge McMahon’s decision for @authorsguild.bsky.social, putting a stay on the cancellations of awarded NEH grants. We remain steadfast in our efforts to stop the unlawful dismantling of the NEH. 🗃️

Columbia’s $200M deal with Trump administration sets a precedent for other universities to bend to the government’s will While Columbia University can afford to pay the government $200 million in order to unfreeze federal grants and contracts it was awarded, many other universities and colleges could not.

"This agreement is very broad and gives the federal government oversight of things that have long been under universities’ control, such as whom they hire to teach and which students they admit."

theconversation.com/columbias-20...

Texas A-F-T Summer School 2025: legislative and policy updates for higher education. Tuesday, July 29 at 6 p-m central.

Summer school is in session, and so is the Legislature (again). Stay in the know with what they are working on - and what it means for Texas colleges & universities - this Tuesday on Zoom!

RSVP on Mobilize 🔗 mobilize.us/s/nkDlS3?utm...

@texasaaup.bsky.social @utaustinaaup.bsky.social

Amy Sherald Cancels Her Smithsonian Show, Citing Censorship The artist said that she made the decision after she said she learned that her painting of a transgender Statue of Liberty might be removed to avoid provoking President Trump.

No artists should face censorship for their creativity, vision, and commitment to transgender people's freedom.

Erasing our art and our stories won't erase us.

This holds true for all of us. We can use our voices as faculty now, or wish we had later.

🚨 Breaking News | @columbiauniversity.bsky.social Settles With Trump Administration

Columbia University has reached a $221 million settlement with the federal government over claims of antisemitism that is expected to restore millions in federal research funding. bit.ly/458lzoR

Good morning from Washington DC! Right now @rweingarten.bsky.social is joining @hirono.senate.gov, @neatoday.bsky.social Vice President Princess Miss, and more for a hearing on “Robbing our Students’ Futures: The Indefensible Attacks on Public Education.”

Follow along in the thread below. ⬇️

Opinion | I Watched It Happen in Hungary. Now It’s Happening Here.

🚨 "To the stewards of our nation’s great cultural and commercial institutions: Don’t dupe yourselves. The illusion that you are smarter than the strongman, that you’ll outmaneuver him with silent cleverness, is just that — an illusion. Now, more than ever, your principled leadership matters."

📢 📢Cameron Samuels of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas…said politicians in the state are taking control of universities to dictate what is acceptable. “When someone controls the dissemination of ideas, that is a really dangerous sign for the future of democracy.”