Hi Everyone,
I realize it's been a while since any updates have been posted to this page--a few things have been in the works since then. The creation of a "Dartmouth Courage" Website (patterned after Harvard's Crimson Courage site) allows for more widespread communication along with more ways to become involved.
More recently, Dartmouth is one of 9 Higher Ed Institutions targeted by the Trump Administration, professing their adherence to the academic excellence standards set forth the the federal government. We think this is part of a "test case" and if these schools sign on, more will be targeted in the future.
So, with that being said, here is the relevant information:
We are now launching Dartmouth Courage!!
We are Dartmouth alumni standing together for academic freedom, and we urgently need your help with a NEW petition. Please join us in defending Dartmouth against a new and immediate threat to academic freedom.
How can you help?
Dartmouth is one of nine leading universities (the University of Arizona, Brown, Dartmouth, MIT, Penn, USC, Texas, Vanderbilt, and UVA) targeted by the Trump Administration’s October 1 "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which demands that these universities comply with “the priorities of the U.S. government” and threatens to end federal benefits if these institutions fail to submit to wide-ranging federal control of inquiry, speech, scholarship, curriculum, admissions, hiring, and finances.
Alumni of Dartmouth and the other targeted universities are mobilizing to protect their institutions from unprecedented federal intrusion and to uphold the independence that has long made American higher education a global beacon of free thought and innovation.
Together, we have launched a petition urging leaders of all nine universities to reject the Trump Administration’s ultimatum and stand together to protect academic freedom, institutional independence, and the democratic values safeguarded by higher education.
If you are an alum of Dartmouth or one of the eight other targeted universities, PLEASE sign the petition today to stand with your alma mater and SHARE WIDELY with your fellow alumni. If you are not an alum of these nine universities, please copy the link to the petition and SHARE IT AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE - through email and social media - and urge alums to sign the petition.
What is Dartmouth Courage?
Dartmouth Courage is a community of Dartmouth alumni joining together and standing up for academic freedom and constitutional rights at Dartmouth College and in American higher education.
Our website is dartmouthcourage.org, and we will be adding resources and programming to help alums learn about the rapidly developing challenges confronting higher ed - and learn ways to take action.
Our most pressing need is your support in defending Dartmouth from the immediate threat: a broad and unlawful intrusion by the federal government into Dartmouth’s autonomy, operations, and governance.
Please SIGN the petition linked above and SHARE IT WIDELY VIA EMAIL AND SOCIAL MEDIA with Dartmouth alums and alums of the other eight universities targeted by the October 1 compact.
In the longer term, Dartmouth Courage will be a sustained initiative that will continue to give voice to the collective concerns of alumni who understand the need to defend Dartmouth and higher education in this critical moment.
Please join us!