The board of directors of the American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT) has issued a statement condemning “a series of Trump administration attacks on the core principles of higher education”.

They write:

Over the last few months, sudden policy shifts, the gutting of federal support for higher education, and the general climate of chaos and fear produced by the Trump administration are threatening the AAPT’s core mission—undermining what, how, and whom we teach. As philosophy teachers, we aim to create open classrooms that foster the free exchange of ideas among diverse student populations. We want our students to adopt critical attitudes and develop into autonomous thinkers. We cannot pursue these philosophical goals, essential to the functioning of democracy, when politicians are telling people what, when, and how to think. Neither instructors nor students should be sanctioned for defending controversial or unpopular ideas, or prevented from considering opposing views.

The statement then goes on to enumerate how “our work as philosophy teachers is threatened” by the current administration:

• Opposition to free speech, academic freedom, and free inquiry. This includes, but is not limited to, a broad range of “educational gag orders” aimed at restricting speech in higher education. Philosophers are committed to considering all perspectives and following arguments where they lead, which is not possible when classrooms and campus discussions are censored.
• Elimination of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and policies. Our campuses are impoverished when a representative and diverse group of faculty and students are not empowered to participate fully in campus life and to flourish in our classrooms…
• Disregarding faculty expertise. State takeovers of higher education curricula in places like Florida, Utah, and Ohio in which state legislatures play-act as curriculum designers, have pushed forward educational reforms without due guidance from faculty, students, or relevant empirical research…
• Drastic cuts to federal and state funding for education. By defunding popular, longstanding grant programs at public agencies such as the NEH, NSF, and NIH, along with billions of targeted cuts to federal funding at specific universities, the Trump administration is endangering the future of research, threatening innovation, critical engagement, and health. 
• Capricious revocation of international student visas, without explanation or due process, and arrests and deportation of international students (including green card holders) for their constitutionally protected speech and opinions. As philosophers, we strive to equip our students with the tools they need to reach their own conclusions about a range of topics, including important moral and political issues. Through the threat of deportation, students are being told that some opinions are beyond consideration; this is anathema to good philosophy. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on colleges and schools interfere with the ability of our students to learn.

You can read the full statement here.