The following statement has been passed by the Executive Council of the Rutgers AAUP-AFT and the Executive Board of the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union.
On August 3, 2026, the AFT-AAUP issued a statement responding to Education Secretary Linda McMahon letter presenting the Department of Education’s Compact 2.0, formally titled ‘A National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards.’ Rutgers AAUP-AFT and Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union endorses the AFT-AAUP statement and calls upon the President and Board of Governors of Rutgers University categorically to reject the “National Call to Action.”
McMahon’s letter does nothing to secure academic freedom and campus free speech, ensure that students have the opportunity for a well-rounded education, or address the public’s concerns about college affordability. Instead, it is one more attempt by the Trump administration to exert undue political influence over institutions of higher education.
If colleges and universities are truly to serve the public good, they should not be made answerable to the political program of a particular administration. The Department of Education may enforce the law and administer programs authorized by Congress. It may not dictate a litmus test for hiring, teaching, or conducting research. Nor should the Department dictate which programs and courses of study ought to be prioritized, which perspectives count as relevant, or whether institutions publicly endorse the government’s preferred conception of their mission.
Public confidence in higher education will be restored through affordability and institutional independence. We call on you to seek express assurance that responding—or declining to respond—will have no bearing on federal financial aid, grants, contracts, investigations, enforcement decisions, or other treatment by the government. Declining to respond to the Secretary–and thereby declining to legitimate the Trump administration’s higher education agenda–is the best option for Rutgers University.