The University is “not aware” of a collective of prestigious universities opposing the Trump administration, wrote University spokesperson Dee Mostofi in an email to The Daily.
According to reporting from The Wall Street Journal last Monday, the informal private group, which includes Ivy League institutions and leading private research universities, has strategized responses to Trump’s attacks on academic autonomy, research funding and international enrollment.
“We are not aware of this effort, if it exists, or of any peer institutions involved in it,” Mostofi wrote, adding that Stanford is, however, working with peer universities “on actions to advance higher education.”
The Trump administration’s extensive demands for Harvard last month, which called for changes in leadership and hiring practices and “audits” of alleged bias in classrooms, reportedly accelerated the collective’s discussions. University president Jonathan Levin ’94 and Provost Jenny Martinez have publicly backed Harvard’s resistance to Trump’s demands, writing that the school’s objections are “rooted in the American tradition of liberty.”
However, University leaders have faced criticism for not doing enough to oppose the Trump administration. An open letter authored last month, which now has nearly 3,000 signatures from Stanford community members, urged Levin and Martinez to publicly condemn the Trump administration’s actions toward higher education.
Last week, Levin also faced criticism for his decision not to sign a public letter challenging federal “overreach and political interference” in higher education, which was signed by peer institutions such as Harvard and Princeton. Levin defended his absence at a Faculty Senate meeting, citing his preference not to sign open letters.
Members of the Trump administration are concerned about universities banding together in resistance to its policies and have warned at least one school to abstain from such cooperation, according to The Wall Street Journal.
For his part, Levin said there “should be more cooperation” between universities at a Stanford Political Union (SPU) event last month and has often referenced the University’s involvement in lawsuits opposing Trump’s research cuts.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that some university leaders expressed concern that openly backing Columbia after the university received federal funding threats in March could provoke retaliation from the Trump administration. While the coalition of university presidents reportedly has no intention of ceding operational control, the Journal noted they may consider superficial concessions to appease the White House.
The University has not expressed public support for Columbia.