Penn President Larry Jameson co-signed a letter calling on the federal government to uphold and respect the independence of higher education institutions on Tuesday.
The April 22 letter from the American Association of Colleges and Universities — titled “A Call for Constructive Engagement”— was co-signed by 150 university presidents and higher education leaders from across the country. The letter denounced the Trump administration’s “unprecedented government overreach” and “political interference” into higher education and vowed to “reject the coercive use of public research funding.”
“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight,” the letter read. “However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.”
The letter comes as universities across the country have been targeted by funding cuts, executive orders, and investigations. Jameson's signature marks his first public response to recent federal attacks on higher education since 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump returned to office.
Of the Ivy League, all but Dartmouth College's leader signed the letter.
The letter emphasized that higher education leaders were speaking with “one voice” to call for “constructive engagement” with the Trump administration. It also warned that the administration’s funding threats and punitive actions risked undermining the core mission of the American higher education system.
“Colleges and universities are engines of opportunity and mobility,” the letter read. “The price of abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education will be paid by our students and our society.”
Last month, the Trump administration froze over $175 million in federal funding to Penn over its failure to bar transgender athletes from women’s sports.
Jameson’s endorsement of the letter comes as faculty members and local lawmakers have criticized the University’s response to recent federal action. Jameson previously sent four messages to the Penn community addressing federal policies affecting the University.
In an April 17 interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Jameson explained that his reserved approach is informed by Penn’s recently adopted policy of institutional neutrality.
“I think it's very important that I focus on issues that are relevant to Penn's missions and operations,” Jameson told the DP. “When it comes to commentary about the external world, let all members of our community develop their own points of view and decisions.”
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