An American research crisis with real human consequences
2025-06-18
Ivy League universities have dominated recent news headlines, having become popular targets for critics of higher education. But the threats they face—cuts to federal research funding, assaults on academic freedom, and bans on admitting international students—extend far beyond their campuses. Research universities across the country—large and small, public and private—are grappling with these same pressures. These institutions are behind the breakthroughs that shape daily lives. Undermining them doesn’t just jeopardize higher education, it threatens national and global strength. This means that economic, technological, and intellectual collapse is inevitable if US research institutions fall to federal and state disinvestment.