Forde & Lundquist on Faculty Letter

We’re grateful to MassLive for spotlighting the organizing work led by Kathy Roberts Forde and Jennifer Lundquist, and in particular the nationwide letter they circulated to faculty urging a coordinated response to federal overreach in higher education. The letter calls on colleagues across campuses to stand together, reassert shared governance, and defend institutional autonomy and academic freedom in the face of escalating political pressure.

As Forde and Lundquist emphasize, this is not a moment for silence or isolated action. The letter invites faculty to connect, organize, and prepare. It encourages them to brief campus communities, engage legislators and trustees, and document higher education’s public value. It is both a rallying cry and a practical roadmap for campus-level action that can link up nationally. Their broader message, echoed in subsequent commentary, is clear: the assault on higher education will not pause, so faculty should not either.

The response has been swift and broad, with faculty across the country signing on and amplifying the call for principled, collective defense of universities’ core missions. While institutions vary in resources, the letter underscores that solidarity is a force multiplier. No campus should face political interference alone.

At Stand Together for Higher Ed, we are proud to see this leadership in action, and we invite faculty and staff to join us in building the cross-campus networks that protect inquiry, teaching, and the public good. Join here