Garber Joins More Than 180 University Leaders in Statement Against ‘Political Interference’ With Higher Ed

Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 signed a statement denouncing “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” in higher education on Tuesday.

The statement — which was published by the American Association of Colleges and Universities — was signed by the leaders of nearly 190 other universities, including all Ivy League schools except for Dartmouth College.

In the statement, Garber and other signatories called for a “constructive engagement” with the White House that would avoid putting research and academic pursuits in peril.

“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight,” the statement read. “However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.”

The Tuesday statement comes more than one week after Garber publicly rejected the Trump administration’s demands and just one day after Harvard filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of a $2.2 billion funding cut.

Harvard’s stand has drawn strong support from colleges and universities nationwide. Within one day of Garber’s decision to defy the demands, leaders from Princeton University, Columbia University, and Stanford University issued full-throated defenses of Harvard.

Garber’s decision to sign the letter also marks the first instance of Harvard openly joining peer institutions in directly challenging the Trump administration. The University has previously backed lawsuits filed by other schools through supportive memos.

But it has never taken on the role of a co-plaintiff itself, opting instead to be represented through its affiliations with umbrella groups, like the American Council on Education and the Association of American Universities. And Harvard’s leaders have refrained from signing prior public statements where deans and presidents at other schools have condemned the administration’s actions.

In Tuesday’s statement, Garber and other signatories also addressed the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on university campuses, writing that threats of deportation were stifling academic discourse.

“Our colleges and universities share a commitment to serve as centers of open inquiry where, in their pursuit of truth, faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation,” the statement read.

Harvard has reported that 12 students and recent graduates have had their visas revoked since President Donald Trump took office in January — just a small fraction of the more than 1,000 students that have had their visas pulled across the nation.

The Tuesday letter is not the first time university leaders have rallied against Trump — and behind Harvard. Last week, nearly 90 former and current university presidents publicly endorsed Garber’s decision to defy the White House’s demands, calling it a critical stand against Trump’s “authoritarian incursion.”

—Staff writer Dhruv T. Patel can be reached at dhruv.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @dhruvtkpatel.

—Staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @graceunkyoon.