Renowned US scholars Jason Stanley, Marci Shore, and Timothy Snyder have left their tenured positions at Yale University to relocate to the University of Toronto, citing a desire for academic freedom. The trio’s move is not driven by financial gain or prestige but rather a need to escape the harsh climate imposed by the Trump administration.
The administration’s actions targeting universities for alleged antisemitism and revoking student visas have sparked concerns among academics. Columbia University was recently fined $400 million, while Harvard and Brown Universities face possible funding cuts of $9 billion and $510 million respectively.
Stanley believes that academia is being silenced to target intellectuals. “We cannot fight this unless we recognize that this administration wants to take down the universities because they want to target intellectuals,” he stated. The scholar claims that academics are often the first to be targeted as tyranny takes hold in a nation.
Shore warns her US colleagues that “you can’t be friends with this administration; this is an antihuman administration.” Her husband, Timothy Snyder, and Stanley have joined her at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, where they hope to find a more conducive environment for academic freedom.
The scholars’ departure highlights the growing tension between free speech and authoritarianism in US academia. As experts in their field, Stanley, Shore, and Snyder’s voices will be crucial in exposing the deep immorality of the current administration and promoting diversity of thought and truth-seeking.
Source: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/attacks-on-academic-freedom-prompted-u-s-scholars-to-flee-the-u-s-and-come/article_ce90a44f-040b-4176-b6a0-dac956105577.html