Category Archives: Higher Education

Resisting the Trumpist War on Knowledge

Posted on April 14, 2025 by briansandberg

M. Gessen has published a new essay on the Trump administration’s war on universities and knowledge itself. “Almost three months into the Trump administration’s war on universities, and a year and a half into the Republican Party’s organized campaign against … Continue reading →

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

Many International Students’ Visas Revoked in Illinois

Posted on April 14, 2025 by briansandberg

International students at state universities in Illinois and across the nation are being improperly and unlawfully targeted by the Trump administration for visa revocation. Last week, the Trump administration revoked the visas of five international students at Northern Illinois University, … Continue reading →

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

NEH Funds to be Diverted to Trump Pet Project

Posted on April 11, 2025 by briansandberg

Last week, hundreds of active grants that were already awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) after rigorous peer review were unlawfully cancelled by Trump administration officials. Many professors, researchers, and graduate students in History and the Humanities … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Grants and Fellowships, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Museums and Historical Memory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

International Students at NIU are Stripped of Visas

Posted on April 11, 2025 by briansandberg

I am dismayed to report that the Trump administration is now attacking international students at Northern Illinois University. The Northern Star reports that “Five international students have had their visas revoked according to NIU officials.” I send my compassion and … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Authoritarianism, Civil Rights Issues, Education Policy, Higher Education, Human Rights, international relations, Northern Illinois University, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Leave a comment

Hands Off! Protests across the Nation

Posted on April 9, 2025 by briansandberg

Hands Off! rallies were held in cities and towns across the United States this past weekend. Protesters demonstrated against the Trump administration’s policies and the massive cuts inflicted by Elon Musk’s DOGE team. I participated in the Hands Off! rally … Continue reading →

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

National Endowment for the Humanities Dismantled

Posted on April 7, 2025 by briansandberg

On Thursday night, the Trump administration placed 80 percent of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) staff members on administrative leave and blocked its grants to state humanities councils. The entire NEH is effectively being dismantled. I deplore these actions … Continue reading →

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

Trump Administration Erases Data, Alters Historical Record

Posted on April 7, 2025 by briansandberg

“Soon after the new administration arrived, things began to go missing from the White House website,” according to The New York Times. “They weren’t just the partisan policy platforms that typically disappear during a presidential transition. Informational pages about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Archival Research, Authoritarianism, Education Policy, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Information Management, Museums and Historical Memory, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Leave a comment

Historians Address the Attacks on Education in the U.S.

Posted on April 5, 2025 by briansandberg

The Organization of American Historians (OAH) is meeting in Chicago this week and many historians have been addressing the Trump administration’s attacks on education in the United States. The OAH is the premier academic association of historians who work on … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Authoritarianism, Civil Rights Issues, Democracy, Higher Education, History in the Media, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Legal history, Political History of the United States, Public History, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The U.S. Secretary of Defense Bans Books

Posted on April 5, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration’s war on knowledge and education continues to widen, as attacks on academic freedom extend to libraries, museums, and universities across the nation. Trump administration members are attempting to control library and museum content and dictate what types … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Authoritarianism, Civil Rights Issues, Education Policy, Higher Education, History of Race and Racism, Human Rights, Humanities Education | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

16 States Sue to Restore Biomedical Research Funding

Posted on April 4, 2025 by briansandberg

Sixteen states have sued the Trump administration to restore research funding in biomedicine and public health that has been suspended or blocked by officials at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The New York Times reports that “California, Massachusetts and … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Current Research, Grants and Fellowships, Higher Education, History of Medicine, History of Science, Human Rights, Legal history, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment