Students tour the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US.
Credit: Reuetrs Photo
A major source of America’s soft power has been its university system which is accessible to students from across the world. Its universities have contributed substantially in imparting the nation’s ideals to these students. Most American universities have displayed the stated ideals of the country – pluralism, tolerance, freedom of thought, respect for knowledge and ideas, keenness for innovation, and other qualities considered critical to human progress. America has represented and promoted these qualities which have enabled its rise as a world leader. Harvard University has led other reputed centres of education in America in all these respects. It has now been targeted by President Donald Trump. The move is in line with Trump’s running confrontation with the progressive traits of American society – his mission seems to be to undermine the university and send out a message to his constituency and the wider America.
The attack on Harvard started weeks ago, soon after Trump assumed office. The administration froze federal grants of about $2.2 billion to financially paralyse the university, over non-compliance with a set of demands. These demands included reporting of students who violate the law, commissioning of an external party to academic departments, ostensibly to introduce diversity of views but aimed to control them, reducing the influence of faculty members and students in university affairs, and providing of all admission-related data – sorted by race and national origin – to the administration. Every demand is intended to control the university and change its character. Protests by students on the Palestine issue, for example, is a violation of the law. Now, a ban has been imposed on the admission of foreign students. Some 6,800 students – including 750 Indians – who make up about 27% of the university’s strength will have to shift to other universities or leave the US. The administration is using the student visa and tax exemptions as weapons against the university.
The attack on Harvard is of a piece with the moves against intellectuals and foreign nationals that are part of Trump’s politics. The idea of MAGA (Make America Great Again) goes against the idea of a diverse and plural America which is represented by Harvard and other universities. The excellence of America’s universities rested on that idea. Harvard is pushing back against the attack on it. It has won a judicial stay on the administration’s move but Trump is not one to be deterred by that. This resistance is significant not just for the thousands of students but to the idea of America.