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Trump Targets Universities with Executive Orders
President Donald Trump signed executive orders on Wednesday, aiming to reshape higher education institutions and intensify the crackdown on diversity and inclusion initiatives. These actions signal a continued focus on college accreditation and the scrutiny of foreign funding received by universities.
Addressing Foreign Funding and Accreditation
The directives target foreign gifts to universities, instructing the federal government to “enforce laws on the books” concerning the disclosure of significant donations. They also address college accreditation, a process President Trump has previously termed his “secret weapon” for reforming American universities.
Concerns Over Accreditation Standards
During the signing, White House staff secretary Will Scharf stated that third-party groups responsible for university accreditation have prioritized “woke ideology” over merit-based criteria.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon echoed this sentiment, adding, “We should be looking at those who have real merit to get in, and we have to look harder at those universities that aren’t enforcing that.”
Trump’s Stance on Higher Education
Since taking office, the Trump administration has consistently challenged U.S. universities, alleging they have been infiltrated by “Marxist maniacs and lunatics.” Previous actions include attempts to cut billions in university funding contingent on compliance with administration demands, bans on diversity programs, and temporary detentions of international students reportedly in response to their activism.
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University Presidents Respond
Recently, over 150 university presidents issued a statement condemning what they described as the Trump administration’s “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” in higher education. Concurrently, Harvard University has initiated legal action against the government in response to threatened funding reductions.
Accreditation as a “Secret Weapon”
The president has characterized accreditation as pivotal in challenging universities.
Last summer, he stated, “I will fire the radical-left accreditors that have allowed our colleges to become dominated by Marxist maniacs and lunatics. We will then accept applications for new accreditors who will impose real standards on colleges once again and once for all.”
White House Statement on Accreditation
According to a White House statement, the executive order empowers McMahon to hold accreditors accountable through measures like “denial, monitoring, suspension, or termination of accreditation recognition, for accreditors’ poor performance or violations of federal civil rights law.” The order also mandates investigations into “unlawful discrimination” within higher education.
Allegations of Discriminatory Practices
The White House contends that accreditors have implemented “discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-based standards,” characterizing them as violations of federal law and abuses of power.
While signing the orders, President Trump stated that the U.S. was “getting out of that … after being in that jungle for a long time,” referring to what Scharf had described as the “diversity, equity, and inclusion cult.”
Initiative on Historically Black Colleges
Despite his criticisms of diversity and inclusion efforts, Trump also signed an order establishing a White House initiative on historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to foster “excellence and innovation.” This initiative includes creating a presidential advisory board on HBCUs and addressing funding obstacles to improve affordability and retention.
Workforce Development and AI Education Orders
Additional orders were signed focusing on workforce development and artificial intelligence (AI) education, ensuring the future workforce receives adequate training in AI tools, according to Scharf.