CR's April 18, 2025 Times Standard Education Matters Article
Apr 15 2025Dr. Martin Luther King, in his extraordinary “I Have a Dream” speech delivered on August 28, 1963, declared, “From every mountain side, let freedom ring.” He appealed to all Americans to remember that freedom is a core founding value of America.
I have been thinking a lot about the phrase “let freedom ring” and its connection to education since President Trump issued his anti-DEI executive orders (EOs) and the Department of Education (DOE) promulgated its April 3rd letter giving K-12 public school officials ten days to certify that school districts have ended all DEI programs or risk losing federal funding, and the February 14th Dear Colleague Letter, which directed colleges and universities receiving federal funds to cease practices that involve race-based preferences or distinctions in areas such as admissions, hiring, promotions, financial aid, scholarships, and campus programs.
Shortly after receiving the Dear Colleague letter, CR took proactive actions to ensure that the College complies with reasonable federal directives, meets state law, safeguards access to federal funds for students, and continues to be an institution that welcomes all who want an opportunity to learn. We reviewed and revised the College’s Mission and Values statements as well as the Board’s and my two-year goals. I also formed a DEIA Assessment Task Force that evaluated our exposure vis-à-vis President Trump’s EOs and the DOE’s guidance. The task force made well-considered recommendations that I approved for implementation.
Over the past several weeks, the concern has been growing that the federal government wants to control curriculum and curtail academic freedom. Columbia University’s agreement with the DOE to remove the leadership of an academic department and place its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies departments under academic receivership as conditions for receiving federal funding is an example of the federal government’s intentions. The fact that at least sixteen states have imposed limits on teaching concepts related to systemic racism and historical inequities is another example of governmental control over curriculum.
The use of investigations of colleges and universities that have generated fear across the broader landscape of higher education is a deliberate strategy to create division and provide a road map for the imposition of anti-academic freedom, anti-institutional autonomy, anti-civil rights, and anti-educational restrictions. It is not hyperbolic to say that the right of faculty to teach and students to pursue truth and knowledge without political interference and to engage in social and political criticism is being questioned.
Some academic leaders worry that allowing faculty unrestricted discretion over the content covered in their courses could lead to punitive actions by the federal government. However, I believe that capitulation on this issue is just as dangerous. It is imperative that we protect our academic programs from any form of political influence or control—from the political left, right or center.
The CR Board of Trustees and administration will resist all political attacks on institutional autonomy and academic freedom and steadfastly stand against any move to abridge the right of faculty to engage in free inquiry and discuss their ideas in the classroom without fear of censorship.
We cannot allow external political forces to dictate what our faculty—who are trained scholars and disciplinary experts—are permitted to teach, research, or discuss. To do so would be to betray the very mission of higher education, which is to foster critical inquiry, pursue truth, and defend intellectual freedom as essential to a democratic society.
Let Freedom Ring
Dr. King begins his “I Have a Dream” speech by invoking President Lincoln and standing, as he put it, in his “symbolic shadow.” In doing so, King reminds us that the struggle for civil rights—and for freedom itself—is the continuation of the work Lincoln called us to at Gettysburg: to ensure that this remains a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” King’s dream and Lincoln’s vision are united by a common belief that true freedom depends on justice, participation, and the right of every individual to contribute to the shaping of our democracy. That’s what is at stake today. When faculty are told what they can and cannot teach, and students are denied the opportunity to confront complex truths, we lose more than curriculum—we lose a piece of the democratic promise that both Lincoln and King gave voice to.
I encourage you to read a transcript of King’s speech: Transcript of Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech : NPR
I want to thank CR President’s Council members Dan Phillips, Laura Olson, Denise Vanden Bos, Jim Ritter, Kerry Mayer, Chris Gaines, Tory Starr, Chis Albright, and Heidi Moore-Guynup for supporting this article.