Isabella Oland
Harvard University’s campus in Cambridge. The Trump administration has recently stated it would make Harvard open trade and vocational schools in different sectors. After Harvard refused to comply with the demands in June, the administration threatened to revoke Harvard’s funding. Photo Courtesy of Chris Rycroft
Since President Donald Trump began his second term in office, he has targeted universities across the country — whether it be through funding freezes, student and faculty censorship or, in Harvard University’s case, lawsuits.
Recently, the Trump administration called for Harvard to invest about $500 million in building trade and vocational schools as part of an initiative to “refocus young Americans on career preparation” instead of on higher education, which Trump called an “economically unproductive postsecondary system.”
Boston University junior Chloe Hampton said while trade school is viable, the purpose of college is also career preparation.
“I’m a film student, and I didn’t know a lot about film,” she said. “I felt like going to college was a very easy way for me to get to learn more about it while getting opportunities, rather than just jumping in.”
Hampton said cutting the funding of a university — which she called pathways into the workforce — in order to fund an alternative doesn’t make sense.
Mary Churchill, an associate dean at the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, said higher education institutions should not be treated as businesses.
“[Education] is a public good,” Churchill said. “Of course we’re not going to look like a company, and I don’t think we should.”
Some colleges are research institutions, which Churchill said benefit the country by adding to its body of knowledge.
“The value they bring is the research engine of our nation, doing the majority of the research and really creating the pipeline of future researchers, not just for our country but also for the world,” Churchill said.
The consequence of defunding them, she said, is “brain drain,” a phenomenon in which research funding is cut, causing skilled professionals to continue their work in locations that offer more stable positions. Churchill said this is causing a “really big break” in the advancement of research in this country.
Churchill added that community colleges are often overlooked when it comes to conversations about higher education despite enrolling nearly 40% of undergraduates in the U.S.
She said community colleges serve two major roles: preparing students to transfer to a bachelor’s degree-granting institution and preparing students for immediate entry into the workforce.
“It’s workforce development,” she said.
BU sophomore Salma Egal said getting an education is one of the strongest values to her and her family.
“The fact that some college administrations are listening to [Trump’s] opinions and are cutting funding for certain programs is very scary,” she said.
Fortunately, Churchill said, BU hasn’t been singled out the way Harvard has.
However, she noted BU takes part in many legal claims to fight the Trump administration’s actions against universities.
“I don’t want to be too positive, but I feel good about where we are right now,” Churchill said.
She said one of the “many ways” our country benefits from universities is in the way they teach people to work collectively.
“[Traditional colleges and universities] help us learn how to work together,” Churchill said. “That, to me, builds a stronger democracy and a stronger society.”