We look back at how the Trump administration’s wide-ranging actions have impacted hiring and faculty at various universities.
A plethora of executive orders, grant cancellations and threats have led to a massive shift in American universities. Regarded as some of the most elite institutions globally, and as bastions of free thinking, American universities find themselves at the forefront of a culture war. We take a look at how the Trump administration’s actions are impacting staff, hiring and faculty appointments at various universities.
Ouster of presidents and changes in boards
Several universities have seen a change in leadership post upheavals caused either by diktats from the Trump administration or pushback from conservatives.
President of University of Virginia James E Ryan was ousted after seven years on the job. He was asked to step down to resolve an ongoing civil rights investigation into the university over its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. He was also targeted by a conservative Virginia alumni group, the Jefferson Council.
The Justice Department demanded his resignation as a condition to settle its investigation, which was based on complaints of race-based treatment on campus, and followed from the government’s conclusion that the use of race in admissions and other student benefits were “widespread practices throughout every component and facet of the institution.” Board members were also concerned that the school had not dismantled the university’s diversity efforts – as mandated by the 2023 Supreme Court decision to dismantle affirmative action and President Trump’s executive order to this effect.
The institution received “explicit” notification from the Trump administration that the school would endure cuts to university jobs, research funding and student aid as well as visas if Jim Ryan did not resign, US senator Mark Warner asserted in an interview on June 30.
Paul G. Mahoney, a former dean of UV’s law school, was appointed interim president in August.
Recently Cedric T. Wins, the superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute, a public military college, was also forced to depart by Virginia’s public university board.
Amid a slew of measures targeting Northwestern, its President, Michael Schill, a Jewish man and the son of Holocaust survivors, stepped down from the role, following a consultation with the Board of Trustees. After a sabbatical, he will return to Northwestern Pritzker School of Law to teach and conduct research. In a letter addressed to the greater Northwestern community, Mr. Schill wrote that he looked forward to “nurturing our students and continuing to champion higher education, a cornerstone of American society that, despite its imperfections, is more important than ever to our nation’s future.” Former Northwestern President Henry S. Bienen, who served from 1995 to 2009, took over as interim president in September.
“Moving forward, the Board remains fervently focused on regaining access to the federal research funding that has been committed to the University but unavailable for nearly six months,” board member Peter Barris said in the note announcing Mr. Bienen’s appointment, calling it a “challenging period for all areas of the University.”
University of Michigan President Santa Ono stepped down to take over University of Florida but was rejected by the Florida Board of Governors due to conservative concerns. Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh, too, resigned after he faced criticism from State officials.
Amid intense criticism from Congress and the administration for its response to campus protests supporting Palestine, Columbia saw the resignation of its interim president Katrina Armstrong. She was succeeded by Claire Shipman, a journalist and chair of Columbia’s board.
“Forcing presidents to resign has become a blunt political weapon,” says James H. Finkelstein, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at George Mason University, in an email reply. ”It’s being used less as a response to misconduct and more as a way to punish leaders who refuse to conform to partisan expectations.”
Professor Finkelstein also highlighted concerns about changes in university boards due to political pressure. “Over the past year, we’ve seen an extraordinary acceleration in the politicization of university governance in the United States. Boards of Visitors and Trustees—once mostly focused on fiduciary oversight, mission alignment, and long-term strategy—are now being used as tools of ideological control,” he says.
“In several states, including Virginia and Florida, governors have used appointments to reshape boards in ways that undermine shared governance and institutional independence. What’s new is the speed, coordination, and federal support of this effort. We’re witnessing a shift from governance as stewardship to governance as enforcement of political orthodoxy,” he says.
Investigation into hiring practices
The administration has launched investigations into hiring at various universities, targeting what it views as illegal DEI considerations in decision-making. In June 2025, the Department of Justice announced an investigation into hiring practices at the University of California (UC) system.
Further, one of the administration’s demands for Harvard is for the university to submit to an external audit of its enrollment and staff, to evaluate “viewpoint diversity” with the aim of implementing “reforms” to its admissions and hiring practices. Harvard reportedly agreed to turn over employment forms for university staff, barring those for staff in student-only roles.
A civil rights investigation was launched into George Mason University, Virginia’s largest public university, after faculty members filed complaints alleging that the university considered diversity over academic credentials in hiring and promotion. They pointed to practices such as equity advisers in academic departments and implementation of diversity cluster hire initiatives. Complaints also specifically mentioned university president Gregory Washington.
Professor Finkelstein notes that while “Intellectual diversity” sounds “benign, even noble,” in this context, “it’s a euphemism for political intervention in curriculum and hiring decisions.”
“There are historical parallels: during the McCarthy era, presidents were pressured to dismiss “subversive” faculty or resign themselves,” he says, adding “What’s new today is the scale and coordination of these attacks, often amplified by political operatives and media networks.”
Layoffs
Layoffs are taking place at several universities, some of which have cited Trump’s policies or funding cuts as a guiding reason. Stanford announced on August 5 2025 that it laid off over 360 employees due to budget constraints linked to the federal funding policies of the Trump administration. It also made a $140 million reduction in the general funds budget for the year.
Northwestern reportedly laid off 425 staff members as of August 4, while USC announced layoffs and a tighter budget, cutting down on merit raises and discretionary and travel spending.
George Washington University hinted at layoffs, and instituted hiring freeze till October 1. Meanwhile, Boston University laid off 120 staff and eliminated 120 vacant positions, besides bringing in a 5% overall reduction to the university’s budget. Leaders at Brown indicated possible staff reductions along with changes to faculty and staff hiring later. The university has also cut back on spending on capital, reduced the budget outlay for doctoral programmes and accordingly reworked graduate admission levels.
Others such as University of Connecticut, Temple University, University of Nebraska, and University of Minnesota have also considered workforce cuts to manage the shortfalls in funding.
International hiring
H-1 B visa changes introduced on September 19, 2025, may pose challenges for universities which hire foreign talent. A new $100,000 visa fee may make hiring of foreign researchers, faculty, post-doctoral researchers and academic staff challenging . Previously, petitions cost between $2000 and $5000 depending on employer size. Additionally, universities were exempt from the lottery and H1B cap, but the new fees will be applicable to them as well. The current annual cap for H1B visas is 65,000, with 20,000 more for those graduating with a masters or doctorate from a US university.
As of 2023, 58% of post docs in science, engineering and health fields were on temporary visas like H1-B, according to NCES. Stanford has more than 500 faculty and staff on the visa. Other universities with a sizeable number of H1B holders on staff include Columbia, University of Michigan, Harvard, WashU, Yale, and John Hopkins.
Data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services show that in 2024, nearly half of all approved H1-B petitions were for those in professional, technical and scientific roles; educational services made up about 7%, a smaller but sizable amount.
In Texas, an order from Governor Greg Abbot has instituted a pause on all new H-1B visa petitions from State agencies and universities till March 31, 2027, to ensure that employment opportunities are filled by Texans, although the Texas Workforce Commission may permit exceptions. According to Mr. Abbot, the freeze will allow the State to institute statutory guardrails for the H-1B visa programme. Reports indicate that that the Board of Governors for public universities in Florida is also discussing a similar pause in hiring of H-1B workers.
Other universities and academic organisations are pressing for a national interest exemption for university workers, stating that they do valuable work for the U.S economy. The request stems from a clause baked into the executive order which allows the Homeland Security Secretary (Kristi Noem at present) to exempt certain positions from its purview if hiring foreign-born workers is in the national interest.
As an alternative for retaining skilled foreign talent, Trump has pitched the Gold Card, a visa based on an individual’s ability to provide a substantial benefit to the U.S. Companies can buy the Card to keep international hires from top universities, Mr. Trump said. While individuals can buy the Gold Card for $1 million, companies can purchase one for $2 million. Additionally, the vetting process, to ensure the candidate “absolutely qualifies to be an American,“ would cost $15,000, according to U.S Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. Five years post-approval, the employee will have a path to citizenship, he said. .
A Platinum card is reportedly also to be launched soon, with foreign nationals now able to sign up and secure a spot on a waiting list. “When launched, and upon receipt of a $15,000 DHS processing fee and $5 million contribution, they will have the ability to spend up to 270 days in the United States without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income,” the associated website states.
Action for alleged anti-semitism and other issues
Faculty has not escape the anti-Semitism purge. The University of California, Berkeley supplied a list of 160 faculty members and students as part of an investigation into anti-Semitic events on campus. Among them is Judith Butler, a Jewish feminist scholar and queer theorist, who highlighted that the university had been an important battleground for student activism in the 1960s. UC San Diego also released a similar list of names to DOE for investigating alleged anti-Semitism.
The California State University system was also subjected to a probe by the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over allegations pertaining to anti-Semitism, with the Commission directly contacting faculty members.
According to an email sent by the Chancellor Mildred Garcia, the Education department was also probing the Cal State system for its ties to The PhD project, which supported underrepresented students pursuing doctoral degrees. Cal State shared faculty openings on The PhD project job boards until 2024.
Faculty voices have also been suppressed in other instances. The September 10, 2025 fatal shooting of conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University heightened tensions on college campuses across the nation. While conservatives and supporters of Turning Point USA have regarded Charlie Kirk as a martyr for free speech, critics viewed him as combative and incendiary. After his death, faculty members across the country were punished or removed from making inflammatory remarks about Mr. Kirk, including on social media.
Deportation
Although deportation attempts have largely affected students, assistant Professor of Medicine Dr. Rasha Alawieh of Brown University, a Lebanese citizen, was detained in a Boston airport while returning from her home country, and later deported citing alleged links to terrorists. Her March deportation took place despite an order from a Judge of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts, who had asked the U.S Customs and Border Protection to notify the court before any expulsion of the doctor, a noted kidney expert.
Flight of academics
Whether due to specific impacts or globalised concerns about the future of American universities, some academicians and researchers are seemingly seeking greener pastures.
Notably, Nobel-winning economists Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee are relocating from the U.S to Switzerland in July 2026. The pair, who specialises in developmental economics, will join the University of Zurich and establish a new centre, called the Lemann Center for Development, Education and Public Policy, per a University announcement on October 10. The couple previously worked at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and won the 2019 Nobel Economics Prize alongside Michael Kremer for their “experimental approach to alleviating global poverty,”
While the couple have not specified the reasons for their move, it arrives in the middle of a particularly turbulent time for American universities. Professor Duflo, an American-French dual national, co-signed an op-ed in Le Monde in March 2025 denouncing “unprecedented attacks” on US science.
It is not just the Nobel laureates who are worried. In a letter to Columbia’s community on June 12, Acting President Claire Shipman highlighted the concerns roiling academia in the U.S. “Columbia’s top scientists are facing the decimation of decades of research. Graduate students, postdocs, mid-career researchers, and established, celebrated scientists, have all had their breakthroughs lauded by the world one minute and defunded the next. We’re in danger of reaching a tipping point in terms of preserving our research excellence and the work we do for humanity,” she wrote.
“ It’s very difficult for foreign countries to compete financially, but what I have noticed in all of their pitches courting American scientists — whether it’s in Australia or Europe or Latin America — is that they’re offering them freedom of inquiry and respect of facts.”Patricia Cohenhttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/07/13/us/2025-06-06-int-science-reaction-index.html
Where the U.S government has pedalled back funding, other countries have stepped in to attract top academic talent.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a €500 million programme to create a safe haven for researchers. She has also directed EU member states to invest 3% of their GDP product in research and development by 2030. France has committed an additional €100 million to research.
In June 2025, the UK launched a talent drive to attract “world-leading researchers and innovators,” with a £54 million Global Talent Fund and a new task force calld the Global Talent Taskforce. This is in addition to £25 million set aside to support AI researchers. The initiative will cover relocation and research costs over 5 years, starting from 2025.
Additionally the Royal Society announced a £30 million grant for a Faraday Discovery Fellowship accelerated international route, partially funded by their £250 million endowment from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The Royal Academy of Engineering announced a similar fast track international route, as part of its £150 million Green Future Fellowships endowment from DSIT.
Universities and research institutes are also taking initiative. France’s Aix-Marseille Université (amU) launched a “Safe Place for Science” programme, promising three years of research funding, with the University having invested €15 million and lobbying the French government to match that amount. The programme saw around 300 researchers apply for about 20 places, with 135 being American citizens and 45 being dual nationals.
There has also been a surge in researchers applying for jobs in Canada, Europe and even China over the past year. A March poll by British scientific journal Nature found that 75% of U.S. scientists are considering leaving the country. Canada has attracted several prominent American academics, including three tenured Yale professors who study authoritarianism and fascism.
The attack on American universities coincides with a simultaneous increase in the stature of Chinese universities, which are making a bid to attract top talent. The Chinese government, too, has increased its investment at all levels of education, and also launched a K visa programme in October 2025, aiming to attract global STEM talent. TIME Magazine reported that Chinese universities improved their placement on lists such as the 2025 Best Global Universities Rankings, compiled by U.S. News and World Report, where Tsinghua University (at 11, tying with Imperial College London), Peking University (at 25) and Zhejiang University (45) placed in the top 100.
This year’s rankings don’t yet reflect the direct effects of Trump’s policies, but experts have said that Trump’s campaign is likely to accelerate the growing global popularity of Asian, especially Chinese, universities, while discouraging international students from going to the U.S. Already, twice as many Africans study in China as in America, with Mandarin learning seeing an uptick in popularity.
Universities in various countries also aimed to attract Harvard talent after the action against international students. This included the Hong Kong University of Science of Technology, which offered an open invitation in May to students enrolled at Harvard as well as those holding confirmed offers to continue their studies at HKUST.
University of Tokyoalso considered a temporary measure to take in students barred from Harvard. The Japanese government urged local universities to temporarily accept international students enrolled at Harvard and other U.S. schools if more restrictions are imposed. “We’d like to work with related institutions and make utmost efforts to guarantee education for young people with ambition and talent,” education minister Toshiko Abe said at a press conference.
Harvard University and the University of Toronto announced a plan on June 27, 2025 that would enable some Harvard students to complete their studies in Canada. The plan, between the Harvard John F Kennedy School of Government and the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, is open to students who have already completed a year of study in the U.S. Such students would, however, still have to apply for Canadian study permits.
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