To strengthen democracy and grow our economy, higher education must function as a public good.

But those in power have forced our higher ed institutions to rely on a failing business model of ever-increasing tuition and exploitative labor practices, undermining their public mission and fueling corporate power.

In every state, our community colleges, technical schools, comprehensive colleges and universities, health science centers, and research institutions are in crisis, struggling to educate, innovate, and care for millions of Americans.

We are calling for an affirmative policy agenda for higher education — one that reclaims it as a universal right and collective investment, not a private commodity.

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From cuts in federal research funding to attacks on DEIA, free speech, and academic freedom, today’s challenges demand a national response. These threats didn’t start with the Trump administration — they are the result of decades of bipartisan disinvestment that have plagued public higher education, eroding the trust of students, workers, and communities and now enabling the Trump administration’s all-out assault. That is why we are advancing an affirmative vision for higher education as a public good that serves everyone, not just the 1%.

We envision a higher education system that guarantees inclusion, accessibility, and strong labor standards — a place to learn, grow, and work with dignity and stability. We believe in building institutions that act as accountable, community-responsive hubs that meet the public’s shared needs. With this foundation, higher education can support an informed society and channel public resources into research and innovation in healthcare, energy, climate, and beyond.

We call for a federal higher education policy agenda that:

  • Makes higher education a right, not a commodity.
  • Establishes just and equitable working conditions on campus.
  • Rebuilds and expands our country’s research infrastructure.
  • Enshrines academic freedom, the right to learn, and free speech.
  • Ensures shared governance among communities, workers, and students.
  • Ends the crises of student and institutional debt.

View the Higher Education Federal Policy Launch

Held in Washington, DC on May 22, 2025. Watch the video below or at this link.