Conservatives Escalate Higher Education Overhaul Beyond Harvard/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The Trump administration’s crackdown on higher education is expanding far beyond Harvard. Republican leaders in states like Indiana, Texas, and Florida are reshaping university governance and targeting DEI programs. These efforts reflect a broader conservative push to exert political control over academic institutions nationwide.
Conservative Push to Reshape Colleges Quick Looks
- Trump administration pressures Harvard; state Republicans extend similar tactics
- Indiana replaces alumni-elected university board members with handpicked appointees
- GOP officials targeting DEI programs, curriculum control, and faculty governance
- Florida and Texas revamp university leadership to align with conservative values
- Iowa and Ohio implement sweeping anti-DEI and tenure-limiting laws
- Experts warn of academic freedom erosion and political interference
- Conservative governors leverage state boards to remake campus culture
- Students and faculty brace for more ideological oversight nationwide
Deep Look: Conservative Movement to Reshape Higher Education Spreads Far Beyond Harvard
While headlines have largely focused on the Trump administration’s battle with Harvard, a quieter but equally transformative movement is taking hold across public universities in conservative-led states. The federal government’s freeze on billions in funding for Harvard University has served as a symbolic lightning rod, but it’s just one part of a broader campaign to reshape American higher education in the image of conservative governance.
In Indiana, longtime Indiana University supporter Ken Beckley, who never attended Harvard, has taken up the university’s cause. Donning a Harvard cap in solidarity, Beckley has voiced alarm over Governor Mike Braun’s removal of alumni-elected trustees from IU’s Board and their replacement with political allies — a shift he sees as part of a coordinated nationwide trend.
“What’s happening nationally is now affecting Indiana,” Beckley said, echoing a growing sentiment that elite and local institutions alike are being politically transformed.
Harvard Conflict Signals National Agenda
While the Trump administration’s efforts against Harvard — including lawsuits, funding freezes, and public accusations of antisemitism — have captured national attention, similar ideological pressure is playing out in states like Florida, Texas, Iowa, and Ohio. Republican lawmakers and governors are wielding power through state university boards to reshape how schools are run, what is taught, and who teaches it.
This movement, which began with opposition to critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, has shifted toward controlling faculty tenure, curriculum standards, and university leadership structures.
“They’ve realized they can push policy by changing governance,” said Preston Cooper of the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
Conservative Overhauls in the States
In Indiana, Governor Braun replaced IU trustees with political loyalists, including an anti-abortion attorney and a former sports broadcaster punished for anti-vaccine remarks. Attorney General Todd Rokita has targeted DEI efforts at private schools like Notre Dame and Butler University, which has a historic commitment to racial and gender inclusion.
In Florida, conservative leaders overturned the appointment of academic Santa Ono as University of Florida president, despite unanimous trustee approval, citing his DEI record. Florida also saw the ideological revamp of New College, where Governor Ron DeSantis appointed conservatives to its board, causing mass faculty departures and the elimination of the gender studies program.
Ohio passed sweeping legislation to eliminate DEI programs at public colleges, limit faculty bargaining rights, and reduce tenure protections. Iowa enacted new DEI restrictions this summer, while its public university board weighs further curriculum changes similar to Idaho, where DEI graduation requirements have been restricted.
Academic Freedom in the Crosshairs
Isabel McMullen, a doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin studying higher ed policy, warned that state university boards now hold unchecked power to reshape campus structures. “There’s little stopping a board determined to dismantle programs,” McMullen said.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott signed legislation in June granting more power to state-appointed boards over curricula and degree offerings while placing new limits on campus protests.
Cameron Samuels, director of the advocacy group Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, expressed concern about the broader implications: “When someone controls the dissemination of ideas, that’s a dangerous sign for democracy.”
Samuels, who is transgender and nonbinary, initially planned to attend Harvard for graduate school but ultimately chose the University of Texas at Austin, anticipating what lay ahead: “I at least knew what to expect.”
Resistance and Legal Challenges Grow
While changes in many public institutions have moved forward with limited resistance, Harvard has taken a more aggressive stance. The university has sued the federal government over blocked funding and policy directives, arguing the administration is unlawfully targeting institutions for political gain.
“We’re seeing a dual-front assault — from state legislatures and from the federal government,” said Isaac Kamola of the American Association of University Professors. Kamola, also a political science professor at Trinity College, leads the group’s academic freedom defense efforts.
Even as lawsuits mount and public opposition increases, conservative leaders show no signs of slowing. Backed by grassroots support and aligned with a broader cultural shift, their strategy hinges on using governance and budget authority to define what higher education in America should — and should not — be.
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