Category Archives: Academic Freedom

Summer Interns Lose Positions in Trump Cuts

Posted on July 15, 2025 by briansandberg

The massive layoffs and disruptions in federal agencies carried out by Elon Musk’s so-called DOGE team and the broader Trump administration have eliminated thousands of summer internships positions for young Americans. “The Trump administration’s sweeping cuts have pushed many lifetime … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Careers in History, Civil Rights Issues, Education Policy, Graduate Work in History, Grants and Fellowships, Humanities Education, Jobs and Positions, Political History of the United States, Public History, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society | Leave a comment

Trump Blocks International Students Going to Harvard

Posted on May 22, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration is launching a new attack on Harvard University, one of the premier private academic institutions in the United States. The New York Times reports that “The Trump administration on Thursday halted Harvard University’s ability to enroll international … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Education Policy, Higher Education, Human Rights, Legal history, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“A Gross Usurpation of Power” by Trump Administration

Posted on May 20, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration’s recent takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) and firing of its leaders and staff members were unlawful acts. In March 2025, members of Elon Musk’s so-called DOGE team, with the assistance of armed officers of … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Higher Education, Human Rights, Peacemaking Processes, Political History of the United States, Strategy and International Politics, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Taxing Endowments Will Shift Tuition Costs to Students

Posted on May 20, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration plans to tax endowments at many private universities. This policy would shift the cost of tuition on students and their families, depriving many students of access to a university education at many private universities and colleges. Universities … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, Higher Education, Human Rights, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mellon Foundation Assists Humanities Councils

Posted on April 30, 2025 by briansandberg

The Mellon Foundation has thrown a lifeline to state humanities councils, which were stripped of their federal grant funding by the Trump administration recently as part of its dismantling of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). “The Mellon Foundation … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Education Policy, Graduate Work in History, Grants and Fellowships, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Political History of the United States, Public History, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trump Admin Diverts NEH Funds to Sculpture Garden

Posted on April 28, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration has gutted the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), laying off staff members and cancelling current grants awards to humanities researchers and institutions across the nation. I know many historians and humanities researchers who have had their … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Education Policy, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trump Administration Aims to Manipulate History

Posted on April 24, 2025 by briansandberg

President Trump and his administration are attempting to manipulate the historical record of the United States and control historical interpretations of its past. President Trump issued an executive order on “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” on 27 March … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Contemporary France, Education Policy, French History, Higher Education, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Museums and Historical Memory, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coercing Universities and Building a Mafia State

Posted on April 21, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration is blatantly coercing universities, especially targeting elite private universities such as Columbia University, Harvard University, and Yale University, and threatening to withhold federal funds for active research grants. Broader coercive attacks by the Trump administration and its … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Authoritarianism, Civil Rights Issues, Grants and Fellowships, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Political History of the United States, Political Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stand with the Fulbright Program

Posted on April 21, 2025 by briansandberg

The Fulbright Association has issued a statement calling on alumni of the Fulbright Program and concerned citizens to stand with the Fulbright Program, which is currently threatened by the Trump administration. I previously served as a Fulbright Research Scholar in … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Education Policy, Grants and Fellowships, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

International Students at NIU Feel Targeted

Posted on April 20, 2025 by briansandberg

International students across the nation are being targeted and terrorized by the Trump administration, threatening their access to higher education and violating their civil rights and human rights. “The Trump administration is revoking the visas of International students across the … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Graduate Work in History, Grants and Fellowships, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Legal history, Northern Illinois University, Political History of the United States, Strategy and International Politics, Study Abroad, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment