Dear Colleagues,
We recognize that this academic year is unlike any other. For several years, we have experienced pressure to change at the state and federal levels. This pressure is not only intensifying, but it is also becoming dangerously codified through executive overreach.
The so-called Compact for Academic Excellence is a stark example. It cloaks coercion in the language of reform, demanding that nine colleges and universities adopt federal priorities as a condition for funding. This is not policy, and it's part of a broader pattern that limits academic freedom, access, and opportunities, and threatens our democracy. From the deployment of National Guard troops in various cities to sweeping cuts aimed at what can only be described as disfavored states, the message is clear. Dissent will be punished. Compliance will be rewarded.
The current events are sobering, but they shouldn’t be a surprise. Scholars from various disciplines have pointed out that we’ve seen this playbook before: punish institutions that foster critical thinking and diverse perspectives, then rebrand it as protecting academic standards or national unity. The narrative has been hijacked, casting diversity efforts that are inclusive and designed to provide fairness, access, and opportunities broadly as divisive or dangerous. The reality is our commitment to truth, access, and equity strengthens this nation.
Not only is what we do under fire, but all of higher education is under fire. But when it felt that we were alone in our advocacy, our voice, our experiences, and our persistence have contributed to change. We are not out here by ourselves. Across the country, faculty, students, staff, and academic leaders are drawing the line. They are rejecting top-down mandates that undermine academic freedom, shared governance, and institutional autonomy. They are pushing back against a strategy that seeks to turn educational institutions into ideological battlegrounds that narrowly define who and what matters.
We must remain vigilant, and we must remain united.
Our work is essential, not threatening. Not only must leaders step up, but this is a moment for strategic efforts and collaborative work. It is a moment to stand firm in our values, in our mission, and in our collective resolve to ensure that colleges and universities continue to serve all students.
In solidarity,
Paulette Granberry Russell, J.D.
President & CEO, NADOHE