October is National Higher Education Month, and the National Education Association's higher education leaders used the moment to sound an alarm about academic freedom.

In a message to members, Alec Thomson, president of NEA's National Council for Higher Education, warned that the federal administration had sent a letter to the presidents of nine universities threatening their federal funding unless they agreed to a series of demands. According to NEA, those demands touched on what can be taught, what faculty and staff are allowed to comment on, and how many students may hold a visa.

Thomson described the letter as "academic extortion" and cautioned that if the nine institutions complied, the pressure would not stop there. He warned it could eventually reach colleges and universities everywhere, limiting faculty's ability to pursue truth and critical thinking with their students.

The NEA's central message to faculty and staff was that unions are a source of strength in moments like these. "We are stronger when we are united," Thomson wrote, encouraging members to support one another and to speak out against censorship.

Why It Matters for UF

Academic freedom and the right to teach without political interference are core faculty concerns. UF stands with faculty across the country in defending open inquiry in our classrooms.