A Pledge to Our Democracy: The Champions of Higher Education

The United States of America faces an unprecedented political and constitutional crisis. The current administration ignores judicial rulings, demonizes and marginalizes the free press, detains persons for their fully protected speech, and seeks to defund and attack independent institutions of research and learning.

Any robust constitutional democracy is more than its elections. The institutions of a fully democratic nation depend on the rule of law, protect the freedom of speech and expression, and include independent institutions in civil society that do not answer to the singular priorities of political power. These include a free press and independent colleges and universities.

The current regime in Washington is following an autocratic playbook developed in Russia, Turkey, Hungary, and elsewhere: gain power first through elections, then seize and transform the institutions of government, law, information, science, and learning—in defiance of constitutional provisions and settled law.

We are retired university and college presidents and chancellors whose careers were in service to the people of a free nation. Public or private, large or small, research-intensive or not, our institutions are part of the fabric of a system of higher education unparalleled in the world. We offer access to learning on a scale unknown anywhere else; our research provides the backbone of modern science and medicine.

All of this is at risk now. More broadly, the legal and institutional guardrails against autocracy and tyranny are under attack by a regime intent on consolidating its own power, in defiance of the Constitution and the law.

We pledge to work together, rising above party affiliations to join with state and local leaders, students, labor unions, and communities, forming the broadest possible coalition to work against authoritarianism. We call on you to join us in this pledge. We all need to stand up and be counted, or be remembered as those who lost democracy to an autocrat.

Note: The signatories of this Pledge initially came together as Members of the Champions of Higher Education, convened by PEN America; please see the Champions of Higher Education Statement of Purpose, signed by over 300 higher education leaders. They have signed this Pledge in a personal capacity and their support does not imply the endorsement of their former institutions, which are listed for informational purposes. 

Signed, 

1. William D. Adams, Bucknell University (PA), Colby College (ME)
2. F. King Alexander, Louisiana State University (LA), California State University, Long Beach (CA), Murray State University (KY)
3. Teresa L. Amott, Knox College (IL)
4. Angelo Araimo, Wagner College (NY)
5. Steven C. Bahls, Augustana College (IL)
6. Gretchen M. Bataille, University of North Texas (TX), University of NC School of the Arts (NC)
7. Esther L. Barazzone, Chatham University (PA)
8. Barbara Beno, Berkeley City College (CA)
9. Kimberly W. Benston, Haverford College (PA)
10. Donald Betz, University of Central Oklahoma (OK), Northeastern State University (OK), University of Wisconsin-River Falls (WI)
11. Robert Birnbaum, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh (WI)
12. George Blumenthal, University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
13. George R. Boggs, Palomar College (CA)
14. Jay K. Box, Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KY)
15. Roger Casey, McDaniel College (MD)
16. John C. Cavanaugh, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PA), University of West Florida (FL)
17. Javier Cevallos, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (PA), Framingham State University (MA)
18. Ellen Chaffee, Valley City State University (ND), Mayville State University (ND)
19. Carol Christ, Smith College (MA), University of California, Berkeley (CA)
20. Lawrence Clark, LSU Shreveport (LA)
21. Joan Develin Coley, McDaniel College (MD)
22. Katherine Conway-Turner, Buffalo State University (NY)
23. Richard Cook, Allegheny College (PA)
24. Thomas B. Courtice, West Virginia Wesleyan College (WV), Ohio Wesleyan University (OH)
25. Christopher C. Dahl, The State University of New York at Geneseo (NY)
26. Paul Dale, Paradise Valley Community College (AZ)
27. Jack E. Daniels, III, Madison Area Technical College (WI), Los Angeles Southwest College (CA), Houston Community College – Central College (TX),  Lincoln Land CC (IL)
28. Charles R. Dassance, Ashland Community and Technical College (KY), College of Central Florida (FL)
29. Sue DeWine, Hanover College (IN)
30. Dan DiBiasio, Ohio Northern University (OH), Wilmington College (OH)
31. Charlene M. Dukes, Prince George’s Community College (MD)
32. Thomas Ehrlich, Indiana University (IN)
33. Royce C. Engstrom, University of Montana (MT)
34. Frances D Fergusson, Vassar (NY)
35. Mary L. Fifield, Harrisburg Area Community College (PA), Bunker Hill Community College (MA)
36. Robin L. Garrell, Graduate School, CUNY (NY)
37. R. Barbara Gitenstein, The College of New Jersey (NJ)
38. Philip A. Glotzbach, Skidmore College (NY)
39. Barry Glassner, Lewis and Clark College (OR)
40. Gena Glickman, Manchester Community College (CT), Massasoit Community College (MA)
41. Nancy Oliver Gray, Hollins University (VA), Converse University (SC)
42. Karen Gross, Southern Vermont College (VT)
43. Richard Guarasci, Wagner College (NY)
44. Dennis M. Hanno, Wheaton College (MA)
45. Elaine Tuttle Hansen, Bates College (ME)
46. Maria Harper-Marinick, Maricopa Community Colleges (AZ)
47. Dianne F Harrison, California State University Northridge (CA), California State University Monterey Bay (CA)
48. Walter Harrison, University of Hartford (CT)
49. Sharon Y. Hart, Middlesex Community College (CT), North Dakota State College of Science (ND), Northern Marianas College (Northern Mariana Islands), Rochester Institute of Technology (A.U.K) (Kosovo)
50. Mark A. Heckler, Valparaiso University (IN)
51. Sue Henderson, New Jersey CIty University (NJ)
52. Susan Henking, Wells College (NY), Shimer College (IL), Salem Academy and College (NC)
53. Richard Hersh, Hobart & William Smith Colleges (NY); Trinity College (CT)
54. Dennis Holtschneider, DePaul University (IL), Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (DC)
55. Freeman Hrabowski, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (MD)
56. G. Edward Hughes, Hazard Community and Technical College (KY), Gateway Community and Technical College (KY)
57. Ellen S Hurwitz, Albright College (PA), New England College (NH), American University of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan)
58. Larry Isaak, North Dakota University System (ND)
59. Joyce P. Jacobsen, Hobart and William Smith Colleges (NY)
60. Richard S. Jarvis, Nevada System of Higher Education (NV)
61. Sylvia Jenkins, Moraine Valley Community College (IL)
62. W. Hubert Keen, Farmingdale State College (NY), Nassau Community College (NY)
63. Harvey Kesselman, Stockton University (NJ)
64. Mary Kay Kickels, Paradise Valley College (AZ)
65. Walter M. Kimbrough, Philander Smith College (AR), Dillard University (LA)
66. Ralph W. Kuncl, University of Redlands (CA)
67. Don Laackman, Harold Washington College (IL), Champlain College (VT)
68. L. Jay Lemons, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise (VA), Susquehanna University (PA)
69. David L. Levinson, Norwalk Community College (CT)
70. Devorah Lieberman, University of La Verne (CA)
71. Theodore E. Long, Elizabethtown College (PA)
72. Elaine Maimon, Governors State University (IL), University of Alaska Anchorage (AK)
73. Mary Marcy, Dominican University of California (CA), Bard College at Simon’s Rock (MA)
74. Eduardo J. Marti, Queensborough Community College (NY), Corning Community College (NY), Tompkins Cortland Community College (NY)
75. Ted Martinez, Jr., Richard J. Daley College (IL), Grossmont College (CA), Rio Hondo College (CA)
76. David Maxwell, Whitman College (WA), Drake University (IA)
77. Dwight A. McBride, The New School (NY)
78. Lily D. McNair, Tuskegee University (AL)
79. Gail Mellow, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY (NY)
80. Charles R. Middleton, Roosevelt University (IL)
81. James Moeser, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC), The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (NE)
82. Stephen Morgan, University of La Verne (CA)
83. Glenn Mroz, Michigan Technological University (MI)
84. Brian Murphy, De Anza College (CA)
85. Charlene Newkirk, Community College of Allegheny County (PA)
86. Michael T. Nietzel, Missouri State University (MS) 
87. Eloy Ortiz Oakley, California Community Colleges (CA), Long Beach City College (CA)
88. Eduardo M. Ochoa, California State University, Monterey Bay (CA)
89. Eileen Wilson Oyelaran, Kalamazoo College (MI)
90. Sarah H. Pappas, State College of Florida (FL)
91. Susan Resneck Pierce, University of Puget Sound (WA)
92. Beverley Pitts, University of Indianapolis (IN)
93. Judith Ramaley, Portland State University (OR), University of Vermont (VT), Winona State University (MN)
94. Kevin P. Reilly, University of Wisconsin System (WI)
95. Gresham Riley, Colorado College (CO), The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PA)
96. Brian Rosenberg, Macalester College (MN)
97. Lisa A. Rossbacher, Southern Polytechnic State University (GA), Humboldt State University (CA)
98. George Rupp, Rice University (TX), Columbia University (NY)
99. Kenneth P. Ruscio, Washington and Lee University  (VA)
100. Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr., Stockton University (NJ)
101. Mary Jane Saunders, Florida Atlantic University (FL)
102. Jake B. Schrum, Texas Wesleyan (TX), Southwestern (TX), Emory & Henry University (VA)
103. John F. Schwaller, SUNY Potsdam (NY)
104. Robert A. Scott, Adelphi University (NY), Ramapo College of New Jersey (NJ)
105. Marie B. Smith, College of Alameda (CA), American River College (CA)
106. Peter Smith, Community College of Vermont (VT), California State University Monterey Bay (CA)
107. Mary Spilde, Lane Community College (OR)
108. Patricia Stanley, Frederick Community College (MD), Merritt College (CA), Laney College (CA)
109. Daniel Sullivan, St. Lawrence University (NY), Allegheny College (PA)
110. Vinton Thompson, Metropolitan College of New York (NY)
111. Linda M. Thor, Rio Salado College (AZ), Foothill-De Anza Community College (CA)
112. William E. Troutt, Rhodes College (TN), Belmont University (TN)
113. Edward Valeau, Hartnell Community College District (CA)
114. Jill Wakefield, Seattle Colleges (WA)
115. Kathleen Waldron, William Paterson University (NJ)
116. David Ward, University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
117. David L. Warren, Ohio Wesleyan University (OH)
118. Anna Wasescha, Middlesex Community College (CT)
119. Charles A. Wight, Salisbury University (MD), Weber State University (UT)
120. Peggy Ryan Williams, Lyndon State College (VT), Ithaca College (NY)
121. Jamie C. Williamson, Butler University (IN), Winthrop University (SC)
122. Jack M. Wilson, University of Massachusetts (MA)
123. John Silvanus Wilson, Jr., Morehouse College (GA)
124. Jennifer Wimbish, Cedar Valley College of the Dallas System (TX)
125. Terri L. Winfree, Prairie State College (IL)
126. Leslie E. Wong, San Francisco State University (CA), Connecticut College (CT), Northern Michigan University (MI)
127. Joseph S. Wood, University of Southern Maine (ME)