Obama Demands That Colleges Adhere to Fundamental Principles

Obama Urges Universities to Defend Academic Freedom Amid Federal Pressure

In a candid speech at Hamilton College in upstate New York on Thursday, former President Barack Obama encouraged universities to resist political intimidation from the federal government, particularly when such pressure threatens academic freedom.

Speaking directly to a generation of students and educators, Obama emphasized the need for self-examination within academic institutions. “If you are a university,” he said, “you may have to figure out—are we actually doing things right? Have we compromised our values, broken our own codes, or even the law?” But if not, he added pointedly, “and you’re just being intimidated—well, that’s why we have these big endowments.”

His remarks arrive as the Trump administration continues escalating its financial threats against higher education. In recent months, the government revoked $400 million in funding from Columbia University, suspended $175 million earmarked for the University of Pennsylvania, and is reportedly reviewing over $9 billion in federal arrangements with Harvard and its affiliates.

The chilling effect of these actions has rippled across the academic world. At Harvard, more than 800 faculty members signed an open letter urging the university to stand up more assertively in defense of academic independence. While some institutions have scrambled for direction, leaders at Brown, Princeton, and other universities facing federal funding cuts have vowed to push back—framing the issue as a fundamental fight for academic freedom.

Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber described the targeting of Columbia as “the greatest threat to American universities since the Red Scare of the 1950s.”

Obama’s call to action was echoed this week by former Treasury Secretary and Harvard president Lawrence Summers, who suggested in a New York Times essay that universities can tap into earmarked endowment funds in emergencies, contrary to conventional hesitation. “Believe me,” Summers wrote, “ways can be found to deploy even parts of endowments designated for other purposes when academic freedom is on the line.”

Obama also addressed growing concerns over the state of free speech on college campuses. While defending the right of institutions to protect their values, he pushed back on what he sees as a culture of silencing controversial voices. “Canceling a speaker, shouting them down, not letting them speak—even if I find their ideas obnoxious—well, that’s not what universities should be about,” he said. “That’s not what America should be about.”

To applause, he added, “You let them speak—and then you tell them why they’re wrong. That’s how you win the argument.”

The former president’s message extended beyond academia. He urged law firms—some of which have also faced political threats under the Trump administration—to uphold their principles, even if doing so costs them clients.

Amid bipartisan criticism of universities—from conservatives citing restrictions on free speech to progressives calling for greater accountability—Obama’s remarks serve as a call to clarity: defend core democratic values, even when under fire.