In 2025, student protests that characterized previous eras appear absent as campuses remain silent in the face of dangers to core educational values like diversity and freedom of speech. Many higher education leaders prioritize strategic responses to external threats over moral leadership, contributing to campus quiescence. Students express mixed feelings; some recognize their fears, while others feel the current moment is no different from past challenges. The silence from academia, as democracy faces significant challenges, raises concerns about the collective responsibility of educators and students in advocating for democratic principles.
"Deans and presidents seem more invested in strategizing about how to respond to executive orders and developing contingency plans to cope with funding cuts than in exerting moral leadership and mounting public criticism of attacks on democratic norms and higher education."
"Many faculty feel especially vulnerable because of who they are or what they teach. They, too, are staying on the sidelines."
"If all of us stay on the sidelines, the collective silence of higher education at a time when democracy is in crisis will not be judged kindly when the history of our era is written."
"Some students see nothing special about the present moment. 'It is just more of the same,' one of them told me."
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