UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement

With Grant Cuts, Trump Pressures UCLA to Make Deal Like it did for prestigious private universities, the administration has cut off federal grants for UCLA, alleging it failed to address antisemitism. The UC system must tell the DOJ by today whether…

The Trump administration has cut off federal grants to UCLA, increasing pressure on the university to make a deal.

Read more from Inside Higher Ed ⬇️

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The two-week trial closed with far-reaching implications for free speech and immigration on college campuses.

Read more about the case 🔗
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The Harvard Professor Who Quantified Democracy | Harvard Magazine Erica Chenoweth’s data shows how—and when—authoritarians fall.

“There’s long been a hunger for hard numbers to quantify democracy, a concept that’s as fundamental as it is messy and impermanent.”

Read about the professor who quantified democracy:

The Dangers of the Manhattan Statement In his inaugural column, John K. Wilson argues that a conservative group's ‘new contract’ for higher ed risks greater government intrusion into the sector.

Former Fellow John K. Wilson examines how a ‘new contract’ for higher ed - the Manhattan Statement - risks increased government intrusion.

Read his column in Inside Higher Ed 🔗

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Americans Recognize Nuances of Higher Ed’s Value New data shows that confidence in higher education is on the rise and most Americans, regardless of party affiliation, share a similar vision for what colleges should prioritize.

New data displays that confidence in #HigherEd is on the rise ⬆️

New laws in Texas offer a troubling roadmap for dismantling academic freedom and chilling campus speech.

Read more in this op-ed 🔗

The University of California is the country’s best value in education, new rankings show Princeton Review and Money agree: UC campuses offer a stellar mix of academics, affordability and student outcomes, according to their newly issued annual lists.

New rankings show the University of California offers the best value in education 📚

Columbia Settlement Offers a Warning for Higher Ed The $221 million settlement extends beyond tackling antisemitism. Some experts said it’s an example of “coercion,” while others say Columbia had it coming.

“Many warn that the agreement marks a threat not only to higher education, but also to democracy at large.”

Read how experts are responding to the Trump administration and Columbia settlement in Inside Higher Ed ⤵️
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Depression due to politics? The quiet danger to democracy In a new book, UC Merced professor Christopher Ojeda draws from the latest data and years of studying the intersection of politics and mental health to find fresh insights into both.

“Depression can compel people to withdraw from the democratic process.”

UC Merced political science professor, Christopher Ojeda explores the effects of politics on mental health in his new book 📘

Homepage • Complete College Photo Library A project of:

A new and free open-source photo library provides a new lens on higher education
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Read more about it in Inside Higher Ed:
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What’s Next After Trump Signed “Big Beautiful Bill” Colleges should start communicating with students about the changes while bracing for state budget cuts, higher ed experts say.

What does the Big Beautiful Bill mean for colleges? 🏛️

Read this Inside Higher Ed article to learn about what’s next 👇

Trump Order on International Criminal Court Likely Violates First Amendment, Judge Rules The ruling’s scope is limited to two American activists, but it represents a striking, if tentative, blow to the president’s efforts to penalize and isolate the world’s highest criminal court.

A federal judge ruled that an executive order by Trump targeting the International Criminal Court is most likely a violation of the First Amendment ⤵️

Former Fellow John Wilson writes about the trial that discovered academic freedom 100 years ago and how the right to teach the truth is still under threat today.

Read his op-ed in The Chronicle of Higher Education👇
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Graphic promoting the "Speech Matters Podcast" from the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. The episode is titled “The (Re)Writing Migration Stories Project.” The left side of the image has the podcast title and episode name, while the right side shows a blurred background of people recording a podcast and speaker information with placeholder profile icons.

📣 The #SpeechMatters podcast is back with a new episode for our VOICE Summer Series! 📣

Tune into “The (Re)Writing Migration Stories Project” with special guests Laura Enriquez, Giovanna Itzel, and Breana Figueroa Perez, the team behind the project.

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What Does ‘Heterodoxy’ Mean During Trump 2.0? Crowing about victory over wokeness seems out of step when MAGA is bludgeoning American higher ed.

The Heterodox Academy’s annual conference last month was confronted with a drastically different cultural and political landscape from previous years.
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“The outcome of the case could have a significant impact not only for Harvard but higher education broadly.”

A key court case involving Harvard and the Trump administration began Monday - and its implications could be far-reaching.

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Colleges Use Podcasts to Reach Students, Community As podcasts have grown in popularity among young people, higher education professionals are getting behind the mike to provide advice and support to current and potential students.

🎧 Did you know podcasts are growing in popularity as colleges use them to reach students?

Dive into this Inside Higher Ed article buff.ly/AUKk06E

& tune into our official podcast #SpeechMatters
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Students at John Hopkins University debate the resilience of U.S. democracy 👇

Trial Over Free Speech on Campus, and Trump’s Student Crackdown, Begins The case challenges the Trump administration’s targeting of noncitizen student activists for arrest and deportation on First Amendment grounds.

🚨 A landmark case has begun, challenging the Trump administration’s targeting of noncitizen student activists - and its broader impact on free speech across college campuses.
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UC Berkeley law professors take on a case for colleagues: Fighting Trump research cuts LOS ANGELES — Amid an avalanche of lawsuits in which universities and states are fighting the Trump administration over slashing research funding, a significant early win this week in California

National Advisory Board Co-Chair Erwin Chemerinsky called the judge's order on research funding cuts as "a clear and very detailed explanation of why the arbitrary cutoff of funds to researchers in the University of California was unconstitutional and violated federal law." 🔗

Punishing Universities for Their Viewpoints Violates the First Amendment The Trump administration has attempted to punish Harvard for what it chooses to say and teach. That violates the First Amendment.

“While government funding is not a right, freedom from ideological coercion is a constitutional guarantee.”

Explore this article discussing how actions taken by the Trump administration raised serious First Amendment concerns 👉

Democracy Lives in Our Daily Habits (opinion) Nurturing humility and listening skills in our classrooms and campus interactions can be a powerful tool for strengthening democracy, Sarah Stitzlein writes.

As political divisions deepen, what can we do to strengthen democracy?

Dive into this Inside Higher Ed op-ed to explore how democracy lives in our daily habits 🔗

Want to stand up for academe?

The Chronicle of Higher Education shares 5 steps to defend higher ed 🏫
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Budget Cuts, Loss of Trust Threaten Higher Ed’s Workforce As campuses grapple with financial instability and revise their values under political pressure, one expert warns that the sector could struggle to attract and retain the talent it needs.

As higher ed faces financial instability and political pressures, the future of its workforce is also threatened 🔗

UC leads American public research universities in global impact, new rankings show All 10 UC campuses are among the best universities in the world in research impact, with eight among the top 25 public universities in the United States, according to the 2025-26 Best Global…

New rankings show UC campuses are among the best universities in the world in research impact 🧪🔬

Congress is considering major cuts to research funding that would hurt innovation, slow medical breakthroughs and jeopardize America’s economic and national security. Join UC in urging lawmakers to reject these cuts and reinvest in science.
#SpeakUp4Science #UCadvocate

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Academic Freedom at Service Academies Dissipates Under Trump Officials are restricting education about diversity and criticism of the U.S. It’s an erosion of rights within the institutions training America’s future military officers.

Academic freedom is facing growing constraints at U.S. service academies

Dive into this Inside Higher Ed article to learn more👇

Data: International Students by the Numbers How much impact do international students have on American colleges and universities? Inside Higher Ed illustrates their influence in five key graphics.

What impact do international students have on U.S. higher education? 📚

Dive into the data in this Inside Higher Ed article

More states are restricting classroom discussions on race and gender.

Read more in The Chronicle of Higher Ed 🔗 buff.ly/Cw5G1zx

“Federal research funding isn’t a handout to higher education; it’s a strategic investment.”

Read Carole LaBonne’s op-ed on how college-based research labs are the workhorses of national progress and prosperity 🔗