This story has been updated.
Colgate University President Brian W. Casey, along with over 523 other presidents of colleges and universities, as of April 28, signed a letter on Tuesday, April 22 denouncing the “unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.”
The letter can be found on the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) website. The AAC&U “is a global membership organization dedicated to advancing the democratic purposes of higher education by promoting equity, innovation, and excellence in liberal education” of which Colgate is a member. Other signatories include Hamilton College, Lafayette College, Boston University and every Ivy League institution except for Dartmouth College as of April 25.
Casey spoke to the Maroon-News about his decision to sign the letter.
“I was aware of the effort to draft this letter as it was forming, and I thought the approach it was taking was correct,” Casey said. “It called for a constructive engagement between the federal government and the colleges and universities. It acknowledged that there were matters that these institutions should address, but called for a way to consider these matters in a thoughtful and careful way rather than in a threatening way.”
Previously, the University Task Force on Institutional Voice, formed in the fall of 2024, released a recommendation advising the University that “rather than reducing the diversity of campus perspectives to one institutional statement — which risks marginalizing some voices and limiting open, rigorous, and ongoing inquiry — the University should actively facilitate such open inquiry throughout our campus.”
Casey spoke on the signing of the AAC&U letter and its relationship to the task force’s recommendation.
“The policy on institutional statements calls upon the University, and most specifically me, to avoid speaking about most political matters. But it does have a very specific carve out for those moments when the actions and proposals of political or other actors touches upon our core mission,” Casey said. “The topics raised in the AAC&U letter very specifically speak to matters directly in the core of our mission. This seemed to be a very clear case where the exception to the institutional voice ‘neutrality’ posture applied.”
The AAC&U letter comes after Harvard University announced on Monday, April 21 that it had sued the Trump administration to stop a freeze on $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts. The freeze on grants followed Harvard’s refusal to meet demands sent in a letter from the Trump administration calling for “government and leadership reforms” and “merit-based” hiring and admissions reforms among other demands. Other universities, such as Columbia University and Brown University, have also been threatened with funding cuts.
The Colgate community has felt the effect of the Trump administration on higher education regarding cuts in grants and research funding from the National Institute of Health. Casey has previously spoken to the Maroon-News about Colgate’s commitment to upholding its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
According to a statement released by Casey on Feb. 3, the University’s outstanding federal grants and support is estimated at around $8 million, which includes $3.6 million in active federal research grants.
Another issue arising in many college campuses around the country is that of the revocation of international student visas. In the same Feb. 3 statement, Casey and Provost and Dean of the Faculty Lesleigh Cushing announced that the University has retained attorneys to aid students regarding questions about immigration status.
The April 22 AAC&U letter ends with a call for constructive engagement.
“The price of abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education will be paid by our students and our society. On behalf of our current and future students, and all who work at and benefit from our institutions, we call for constructive engagement that improves our institutions and serves our republic,” the letter reads.
Additionally, Casey joined College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, a consortium of over 100 college presidents dedicated to promoting three civic commitments: educating for democracy, preparing students for a diverse society and protecting and defending free inquiry, according to the organization’s website.
College Presidents for Civic Preparedness also states that the college presidents will also “develop programming on their campuses to advance these civic commitments in keeping with their unique institutional missions.”
At Colgate, these efforts have already manifested in the 2024-2025 Presidential Speaker Series, the Colgate Vote Project and the Task Force on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression.
The University has established a Federal Policy Working Group, according to a March 6 email sent to the Colgate community from L. Hazel Jack, vice president and chief of staff to the president. The group reviews the University’s policies amid changes from the White House and is responsible for communications to the Colgate community.
Casey also outlined the future of the University’s actions regarding changes coming from the federal government.
“We will keep our Federal Government Policy Working Group together to keep considering our responses to any changing federal policies. I also will continue to work with the AAC&U group and the New York Six to see how we can respond to any changes together,” Casey said.
