The World of Higher Education Cut, Coerce, Control: What Trump Is Doing to U.S. Universities
Jun 5, 2025
Brendan Cantwell, a higher education policy expert from Michigan State University, returns to dissect the Trump administration's aggressive actions against universities. He highlights the significant cuts to funding from essential agencies and the deportation threats facing international students. The discussion unveils the administration's coercive tactics aimed at ensuring compliance from universities, particularly through Project 2025's strategies. Brendan also reflects on the slow response from university leaders and the broader implications for the future of higher education in America.
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Coercion As A Unified Strategy
- The administration is using every lever it believes it controls to coerce universities into compliance.
- The broader aim is to weaken higher education as an independent political and cultural force, Brendan Cantwell observes.
Chaos Produces Cumulative Effect
- Tactics are messy and reactive but produce a cumulative weakening of institutions.
- Flooding the sector with legal, financial, and reputational pressure makes universities more compliant over time.
Escalation Replaces Constrained Options
- The administration adapts by escalating tactics when met with legal or institutional resistance.
- When courts or institutions block one tactic, the administration often shifts to broader measures that achieve the same end.