A LETTER TO AMERICAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

April 15, 2025

To the leaders of America’s colleges and universities:

We are scientists, educators, researchers, communicators, and members of the public—across career stages and communities—who benefit from American science and public health. We are working together to build a future where science and public health serve everyone through open inquiry, inclusive institutions, and public trust. We are committed to advancing science as a public good.

This week, Harvard University made a principled choice: it refused to comply with new federal demands that threaten academic freedom in exchange for continued research funding. These demands included dismantling DEI programs, screening international students for political beliefs, and reshaping hiring around partisan definitions of “viewpoint diversity.”

In saying no, Harvard stood up for what makes science and education possible: freedom of thought, institutional autonomy, and a learning environment where all students and scholars can thrive. It joins other institutions such as Wesleyan University and Princeton University in being at the forefront of the fight for academic freedom.

We applaud this decision. We urge university leaders and the broader research community to:

• Publicly affirm their independence from political interference;
• Defend academic freedom as essential to discovery and democracy;
• Support programs that expand access and opportunity in STEM;
• Protect international students and scholars;
• Champion science communication and education that serve their local communities.

This moment calls for clarity and courage from all of us. The federal government has targeted multiple universities with threats to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, reshape academic departments through measures like academic receivership, and impose ideological filters on international students and faculty. These actions undermine civil rights protections and free expression, and violate the constitutional boundary between government power and independent institutions.

Research funding is on the line—but so is the long-term foundation of science itself. If institutions begin bending to these pressures, they risk losing not only critical research capacity, but also their credibility, their talent, and the trust of future generations of scientists.

We believe in the promise of science to improve lives. That promise cannot be fulfilled if universities are forced to abandon the very principles that exist for science to progress. This is not just about one university. It is about whether institutions across the country are willing to protect the conditions under which research, education, and innovation can thrive.

We stand with Harvard. We stand with every institution that upholds the American tradition of Liberty, and chooses to protect its mission, its people, and the future of science.

Sincerely,

JP Flores, Science for Good, UNC Chapel Hill Graduate Student

Samantha Goldstein, Science for Good, University of Florida Graduate Student

Emma Courtney, Science for Good, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Jane Miglo, University of Illinois Chicago

K. Victor B., The University of Pennsylvania

Anonymous, University of Pennsylvania

Daniel Feshbach, PhD Student at University of Pennsylvania

Emory Employee

Elizabeth Menig, Ivy Tech Community College

Rachit Kumar, University of Pennsylvania

Joseph Dominguez, PhD candidate, University of Illinois Chicago

Giuseppe Pellerito, Delta College

Nickole Moon, PhD ; The University of Colorado

Kristin Weinstein, University of Washington

Aditya Iyer, UCLA Graduate Student

Dr. Luella Allen-Waller, University of Chicago

Dr. Sriram Kumar, University of Münster, Germany

Katie Grant

Christine McEntee, Former CEO, American Geophysical Union

Dr Timothy Koh, University of Illinois Chicago

Wendy Su, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Kavitha Chintam, Alum of Northwestern University

Anonymous, New York University

Madeleine Duquette, UC San Diego

Anonymous, PhD Candidate, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Dr Jessica Jones

Bryna Goeckner

Kristina Davis

Mohammed Saqib, UPenn PHD Student

Anvita Komarla, University of California - San Diego

Dr. John Neddermeyer, Northern Arizona University

Dr. Kristen Walker, Morgan State University

Emma Scales, Cornell University

Erin Morrow, UCLA Graduate Student

Isako Di Tomassi, Cornell University

Kirsten Lydic, University of Pennsylvania

Giamila Fantuzzi, University of Illinois Chicago

Anonymous, PhD Student, Harvard University

Mary Therese Fazzini

Brendon Davis, Johns Hopkins University

Alex Rich, Yale University

Hannah Kubinski, Duke University Graduate Student

Erin Santos, PhD Student, Oregon Health & Science University

Katherine Ritchie, PhD student in Biophysics, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

Tessa Bonney, University of Illinois Chicago

Anjana Nair, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Dr. Anonymous, NIH

Anonymous, Northwestern University

Dr. Carrie McDonough, Carnegie Mellon University

Anonymous, Northwestern University

Jacqueline Smith

Dr. Ashley Kamimae-Lanning

Shireen Gonzaga

Codey Carr, PhD Student, University of Maryland

Dr. Alyse N Maksimoski, Idaho State University

Eden Parks

Cassandra Manrique

Dr. Nicholas Denton, The Ohio State University

Jenny Fiedler, UNC Chapel Hill

Denise W.

Anonymous, Mayo Clinic

Victoria Helmly, MSW, PhD

Veena Calambur, Stevens Institute of Technology

Beth Fields, Alum of Indiana University

Stacy Hennig

Ashley Gomez

Abby Masterson

Dr. Isabella Rauch, Oregon Health and Science University

Anonymous, Penn State University

Dr. William Jamieson

Satish Desai

Dr. Elissa Hamlat, UC San Francisco

Dr. Cassie Lopez-Jeng, Western Michigan University

Dr Freya Joëssel, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Hannah Leslie, University of California San Francisco

Olivia Phillips, Georgia Institute of Technology

Miles Arnett, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Elena Machkasova, UMN Morris

Nickolas Fisher, Northwestern University

Ya’el Courtney, Stanford University

Ashley Alvord, undergrad student at Utah State University

Anonymous, Alum of The University of Southern Mississippi

Anonymous, CUNY

Dr Dominic Shayler, University of Colorado

Anonymous, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madeline Geittmann, Loyola University Chicago

Mina Beyer

Jennifer Reeser, UConn Health

Dr. Allison Coffin, Creighton University

Barbara Green, Carleton College and University of Minnesota alumna

Kelly Taylor, MS, CGC, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Nancy Dyrek

Anonymous, Assistant Professor, UC Davis

Dr.  Curtis Stofferahn, Professor Emeritus

Laura Saint Martin, psychiatric technician

Christina Milburn

Anonymous, Postdoctoral Fellow, UC San Diego

Natzidielly Lerma

Ellie Bronson

Delaugerre Michel Jean.  Conservatoire du littoral (retired)

Anonymous, UC Berkeley

Dianne Deauna, University of Hawai'i at Månoa

Dr. Alfonso Garcia Arriola, Science Educator

Megan Moore

Dr. Kalina Fahey, University of New Mexico

Jennifer Reed

Claire Emilia Punturieri, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Elena Kalina, PhD Candidate, University of Florida

Mary Feak, RN

Jessica Sarro, Wyss Institute at Harvard University

Dr. Danielle Cosme, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Nina Christie, University of New Mexico

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Anonymous, Vanderbilt University

Isabelle Meneses, CUNY Hunter College

Stephanie Hilles

Dr. Maria Wheeler-Dubas, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Anonymous, University of California, Los Angeles

Emily Beeman, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Antonio Sanfilippo, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Anonymous, PhD Student, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Elizabeth Fairfax, High School Physics Teacher

Bryce Johnson, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Emma Hammond, PhD Student at University of Wisconsin - Madison

Dr Noelle L’Etoile, UCSF

Rebecca Mellema, University of Utah

Alison Trainor, MS, CHES

Meghan Buldo

Christina Gillezeau, University of New Mexico

Abbie Klein, UW-Madison

Anonymous

Luis Delgado, Penn State University

Dr. Hill, University of Utah

RoseMary Oliveira, Sierra Club

Eric LAMIDIAUX

Michael Olesen, Healthcare Consultant

Anonymous, the University of Michigan

Anonymous, Aquinas College

Barry Dornfeld, Center for Applied Research

Yumi Kodama, University of Pennsylvania, East Asian Languages and Civilizations language, Yumi Kodama

Gracie Morehouse

Dr. Rick S. Zimmerman, Wayne State University

Zachary M. Burman, University of Missouri

UPENN CRC

Dr. Sarah Woldemariam, University of California, San Francisco

Barbara Y Bugg, retired molecular biologist, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN

Dr. Sarah Prescott

Bethany Peterson, PhD

Sparky Mitra, Columbia University

Anonymous, College of William and Mary

Anonymous, Cornell University

Guy Plunkett III, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Lauretta M. Nagel

Jennifer Lyon Adler, KCTCS

Anonymous, MIT

Anonymous, First-Generation Immigrant Scientist, University of Florida – CTRND

Natalie Gehred, University of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Robert C. Alaniz, Xolo Biosciences

Reilly McGavern

Lewyn Li, Alum of Harvard University

Hana Barrett, Cornell University

Taylor Anderson, MSHI

Anonymous, University of North Carolina

Liz Horton, Retired Scientist

Sarah Chong, UNC Graduate Student

Erica Voisine

Anonymous, North Carolina A&T State University

Niketh Keshavan, University of California Santa Barbara

Hannah Mitchell, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Anonymously, Johns Hopkins University

Christian Wesselborg, Johns Hopkins University

SA, Johns Hopkins University

Anon, Johns Hopkins University

Anonymous, Johns Hopkins University

Emily Meier, PhD candidate, Johns Hopkins University

Matthew Isada, Johns Hopkins University

Lauren

Alex Pierce

Jonathan Talarico

Alexis N. Cox-Holmes

Dr. Colleen Bove, Ursinus College

Anonymously, Georgetown University

Anonymous Staff Member at UC Davis

Ms. Amy Reyes, University of Colorado

Sawyer Eaton, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Liana Annable, Northeastern University

Mikela Ritter

Cameron Oden, University of New Haven

Anonymous, Penn State

Anonymous, Georgia State University alumni

Nancy Grant Harrington, PhD, University of Kentucky

Tonia Poteat, PhD

Cynthia Merritt, Concerned Citizen

Sary Bseiso, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Adam Tristan, Berea College

Prof. Valerie Manusov, University of Washington

Thomas Ward, Creighton University

Jack Lucas

Grace McManus, PhD Student at Binghamton University

Nichole Hotchkiss Kuehner

Dr Dianne Patterson, University of Arizona

Joshua Andrew Schultz, Johns Hopkins University

Lisa Schiff

Rachael Haines, alumni, Tufts University

Ariel Christensen, MPH, PhD Student, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Dr. Heather Richardson Hayton, Guilford College

Dr. Carrie Bearden, UCLA

Sandhya Jha, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Brittany Barker, Oregon State University

Kevin E. Yarasheski, PhD

Dr. Julia Varbalow,  retired

Anonymous, PhD Student, University of Central Florida

Dr. Talisia McHugh, Austin Community College

Dr. Lizabeth Roemer, University of Massachusetts Boston

Darlene