Arizona university presidents should join their colleagues and unite to defend higher education

Authored by Richard Newhauser. Richard Newhauser is a professor of English at ASU and a member of UCWAZ, CWA local 7065, since its founding in 2020. He joined the faculty of ASU in 2007.

Higher education in our country is under direct attack by those in Washington who seek to interfere in the way universities govern themselves. As we can see by the countless and seemingly random visa terminations - and quick reinstatements - of international students and campus workers, state-wide bans on free speech on campus, and attacks on DEIA programs on college campuses and in public schools, the current federal administration is making a concerted effort to dictate changes to the core principles of university and public education in America.

The bedrock principles of American higher education include:

• University self-governance in admission policies and in the content of what is taught and who can teach it
• Open and honest debate on campus on all issues without fear of retribution or legal repercussions.

But now, the federal administration's overwhelmingly vague executive orders and coercive threats to public research funding threaten to turn Arizona’s universities into an arm of Washington’s administration.

Some pushback against interference in higher education at our Arizona universities has already begun. For example, Arizona State University recently joined 12 other universities in a lawsuit against the National Science Foundation’s recently mandated cap on indirect research costs. At the University of Arizona, 91% of the faculty recently voted for a referendum urging its president to take a stand against the interference by the current federal administration in the business of the university. But much more work is needed to defend the fundamental rights of faculty, staff, and students at our higher education institutions. Arizona’s university presidents cannot sit idly by while the freedoms at our universities are eroded as they look on. Now is the time for university leadership to stand up and defend the core principles of public education.

Last week, our campus labor union, the United Campus Workers of Arizona, CWA Local 7065, electronically delivered an open letter to Arizona State University president Michael Crow, Northern Arizona University president Jose Luis Cruz Rivera, and University of Arizona president Suresh Garimella demanding accountability. This week, delegations of union members delivered copies of the letter to the presidents in person. In the letter, our union has urged the presidents to sign on to the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ “Call for Constructive Engagement.” 

As of April 22nd, over six hundred college and university presidents across the country have signed this Call, including:

• Harvard University president Alan M. Garber
• University of Pennsylvania president J. Larry Jameson
• Yale University president Maurie McInnis

The Call draws on the power of solidarity to withstand the current federal administration’s meddling in university self-governance and is a measured response to this moment in American history. As the Call states, “We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.”

Inaction by Arizona’s university presidents at this important moment is untenable. We call on them to sign on to this Call for Constructive Engagement by Friday, May 30th, in order to defend the basic principles of higher education and to protect the contributions of university research, teaching, and service to our nation.