‘From all sides’: universities in red states face attacks from DC and at home

As University of Michigan President Santa Ono prepares to join the University of Florida, his exit has drawn attention to the struggles of U.S. universities in standing against Trump's attacks on education. A letter signed by over 600 university presidents criticized Trump's unprecedented government overreach and political interference in higher education, with Ono stepping down signaling a potential shift in support for public institutions. The move underscores the difficulties universities face in red states where both local and federal policies make it harder to resist these changes, especially as they grapple with state-level restrictions on diversity initiatives and faculty autonomy.