The Take

Why Trump’s university crackdown is driving professors off US campuses

How is the Trump administration’s crackdown on universities reshaping higher education in the US?

Faculty stage a protest and press conference to condemn Columbia University’s concessions to the federal government and to call for the defence of academic freedom and democracy at Columbia in New York City, the United States, March 24, 2025 [Dana Edwards/Reuters]

With academics leaving the US, funding cuts looming over universities for alleged failures to combat anti-Semitism, and foreign students facing deportation for pro-Palestinian activism, US President Donald Trump’s policies are being felt at colleges across the United States. What’s behind the fixation on universities, and what will be its long-term impact on higher education in the US?

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In this episode:

Marci Shore (@marci_shore), Professor of history at Yale University

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra, Sonia Bhagat and Tamara Khandaker with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Marcos Bartolome, Chloe K. Li, Kisaa Zehra, Remas AlHawari, Melanie Marich and our guest host Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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Source: Al Jazeera