Hobart and William Smith Colleges: Stand up for academic freedom and integrity

Dear President Gearan:

As concerned members of the Hobart and William Smith community, we ask that you reject the Trump administration's so-called Compact for Academic Excellence (the Compact).  We are calling on you to stand up for the values that make Hobart and William Smith Colleges and higher education a cornerstone of American democracy.  The mission of Hobart and William Smith Colleges is to “prepare students to lead lives of consequence” by, among other things, “modeling values and points of view that equip them to author the world as it could be.”  We now call upon you and the Colleges to realize these stated principles by modeling for the world that academic institutions should be places that prioritize research, teaching, and discovery free from government interference.  Hobart and William Smith Colleges cannot live up to its mission statement without demonstrating through leadership what it means to stand up for its own values. 

Although Hobart and William Smith Colleges have not yet issued an official statement about the Compact, we have every faith that you will reject it given that signing it would run directly counter to the stated mission of the Colleges.  Signing the Compact would prevent the Colleges from ensuring that all students, faculty, and staff have a sense of belonging and will feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute fully.  From the moment you took the helm of Hobart and William Smith Colleges back in 1999, you always have stressed the importance of public service.  You have inspired generations of students and alumni to serve the public interest.  Now, we look to you to demonstrate your unwavering commitment to the values you taught us.  The Trump administration’s escalating campaign against America’s colleges and universities threatens these values - and the very foundation and mission of small, liberal arts institutions like Hobart and William Smith Colleges. 

We are concerned about what is happening in our country and look to you to be a beacon of positive leadership during these times.  Across America, the Trump administration is slashing funding for life-saving research.  Pell Grants are being stripped away from students.  Schools are being extorted and pushed into backroom agreements that surrender control over who can learn, teach, and express themselves on campus.  The administration’s end goal is to reshape the core functions of colleges and universities - including admissions, hiring, governance, and curriculum - to fit its political whims and ideology, with little regard for the law, what works educationally, or the communities colleges and universities serve.  Please know that you have our support as you fight for educational freedoms. 

This is what we ask of you: Continue to stick to the College's educational mission, ethos, and values as you respond to the political dictates of the Trump administration.  Resist political interference in academic decisions.  Stand firm in rejecting the imposition of financial and other penalties that don’t relate to nor address the problems you are trying to fix, including discrimination and bias on campus.  Keep protecting the educational and professional lives of the students, staff, and faculty in the Hobart and William Smith Colleges community.  Continue to stand up for free speech, expression, and inquiry on campus. Keep instilling a strong sense of shared mission and purpose, through open and transparent engagement across the Hobart and William Smith Colleges community. 

We also encourage you to join with fellow colleges and universities in taking a principled, collective stand together for the shared values and freedoms essential to higher education.  Hobart and William Smith Colleges are stronger when they stand together in solidarity with the higher education community.  

Decades from now, you and Hobart and William Smith Colleges will be remembered for standing firm - for the College’s mission and values, for all members of its community, and for the educational and democratic freedoms you have upheld throughout your career.

Sincerely,

 

Nicole De Sario Hedrick, JD, PhD                   Sky C. Stanfield, JD
William Smith College Class of '00                 William Smith College Class of '00

Cc: The Board of Trustees