The American Association of Colleges and Universities posted an open letter condemning federal overreach into higher education.
About 180 university presidents and academics initially signed on, including the presidents of the University of Virginia, Virginia Wesleyan University and Emory & Henry University.
The letter follows a number of universities getting tangled in Trump administration executive orders and allegations that it’s using research funding to force compliance with conservative initiatives.
By Friday, about 480 people had signed on to the letter.
David Ramadan is a former Republican state delegate and a professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He takes issue with the Trump administration pressuring schools and educators.
"The long-term effects here are really, really dangerous to our system and to our democracy, and to our republic," Ramadan said.
Ashley Finley is senior advisor to AAC&U's president.
" The paradoxical thing about divisive concepts legislation, Trump administration, executive orders currently, that we would say that becomes a space in which you're shutting down both liberal and conservative ideas," Finley argued
As of noon Friday, five presidents of Virginia colleges were listed— Hollins, UVA, Virginia Wesleyan, Randolph, and Roanoke.
Lou Fincher, president at Emory & Henry University, had also signed but asked to have her name removed from the statement. A school spokesperson said that media coverage hasn’t included proper context for the letter and that the university wants to remain focused on educating students.
The letter and regularly updated list of supporters can found here.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
