1A 'If You Can Keep It': Higher Education Funding
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Apr 14, 2025 
Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, a National higher education reporter for The Washington Post, and Robert Kelchin, head of the Educational Leadership department at the University of Tennessee, join Michael Roth, President of Wesleyan University. They dive into the Trump administration's controversial funding freezes on major universities due to allegations of anti-Semitism. The discussion highlights the implications for research, university autonomy, and the broader landscape of higher education amidst political pressures and funding cuts.
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Federal Funding Freeze as Control
- The Trump administration froze or threatened over $11 billion in university funding, citing anti-Semitism allegations.
- It aims at controlling universities' operations beyond funding, signaling deeper federal interference.
Lawsuits Challenge Funding Freeze
- The administration withheld evidence and skipped procedural fairness when freezing university funds.
- This led faculty unions to sue, defending Title VI civil rights protections and due process.
Wesleyan President Condemns Actions
- Michael Roth of Wesleyan calls the administration's actions an abuse of power designed to create fear.
- Columbia University conceded to demands like revising programs and hiring more police but funding remains withheld.