This Will Not Be a Normal Summer

In a recent op-ed for Inside Higher Ed, Jennifer Lundquist and Kathy Roberts Forde, co-founders of Stand Together for Higher Ed, issue a rallying call that this summer should not be a time of rest, but a time of organizing and resistance. They warn that while faculty may yearn for a break, forces in government are actively advancing plans to remake higher education under Project 2025. Potential threats include cuts to Pell Grants, politicized accreditation, slashed research funding, new taxes on endowments, and weaponization of Title VI and Title IX.

Lundquist and Forde urge faculty to mobilize on two fronts: public activism and inter-institutional coalition building. They call on faculty to write op-eds, share stories about how higher education benefits students and communities, and demonstrate the sector’s essential public value. At the same time, they emphasize the importance of building alliances (especially with veterans) and forging networks that enable campuses to stand together, not face attacks in isolation.

As STHE continues to provide resolutions, organizing tools, and communications support, the authors invite faculty and staff to join the effort this summer to protect academic freedom, shared governance, and higher education’s public mission.