Emerson’s interim Chief Financial Officer Robert Butler signed an open letter against Donald Trump as the heat between the federal government and Harvard reaches a fever pitch. He was joined by nearly 300 business leaders in signing the letter that called for Congress and Donald Trump’s administration to reverse sweeping blows to research universities. This comes amid accusations from the Trump administration that Harvard University failed to protect its Jewish and Israeli students from antisemitism, and threats to cut all federal funding for the Ivy League school. Emerson is among a slew of schools being investigated by the federal government for reports of antisemitism.
“As business leaders, we are deeply concerned about damage to America’s economy resulting from federal actions that impair U.S. research universities,” the letter stated.
The letter argues that public universities are the backbone of education, technological advancement, and financial prosperity in America, and that stripping federal funding deprives them of the resources they need to educate the next generation of CEOs, doctors, and scientists.
“Since World War II, the federal government has made the strategic decision to invest in universities, anchoring U.S. leadership and competitiveness.”
The letter continued, “It’s an investment that has yielded extraordinary returns for the nation. Curtailing funding dramatically, conditioning research dollars on political criteria, restricting student visas, and targeting universities’ endowments and tax-exempt status will do nothing to address the real challenges that we believe universities must face.”
Included in the letter was a disclaimer indicating that the individuals listed are not signing as formal representatives of their respective organizations or businesses.
“As explicitly noted in the open letter, all signers are providing their support as individuals, not on behalf of their organizations,” a college spokesperson wrote in an email statement to the Beacon “Many Emerson faculty, staff, and students add their names to open letters and petitions regularly, on diverse sides of issues and policies.”
Other university and college officials signed, including some from Williams College, University of Chicago, University of Hawaii, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, American University, and Carleton College. No other Boston or Massachusetts administrators signed the letter.
Also notable among the signatories are LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, former American Airlines chairman Robert Crandall, and Weyco Group’s Tom Florsheim, as well as officials from Apple and Wells Fargo.
The initiative is spearheaded by Leadership Now Project, a coalition of business leaders “committed to protecting democracy as a foundation for a thriving democracy and political stability,” according to their website.
According to a press release, Leadership has now filed an amicus brief in Harvard’s federal lawsuit, alongside 18 universities, 25 Harvard student and alumni organizations, and Boston’s leading hospitals. This challenges Trump’s actions against Harvard, including a list of rejected demands to change hiring and admissions practices, and arguing that these demands violate the First Amendment.
Tensions between Harvard and Trump began just shortly after inauguration day. A list of demands was given to Harvard, including ending affirmative action in admissions and dismantling all DEI initiatives. Later, the Trump administration also made an attempt to revoke the university’s ability to enroll international students. Threats to higher education funding have also been a primary target of the administration’s mission to cut wasteful spending through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In late May, Harvard filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the attempt to bar international students from enrolling. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the administration from issuing such a ban.
Other higher education institutions, like Columbia, have agreed to the Trump administration’s demands in order to hold on to nearly $400 million in federal funding. The University of Pennsylvania also acquiesced to the administration’s demands after a heated back-and-forth regarding Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who’d competed on the women’s team.
