Scores of presidents of public and private colleges across the nation have sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump calling on him to “seek common ground, not hostility, partnership, not conflict” as he rises to the nation’s top leadership role amid a decline in civility.
The appeal comes after several weeks of widespread demonstrations protesting Trump’s election and mixed public responses to news reports of the names of some political and social figures Trump is said to be considering for keys roles in his presidential administration to begin in January 2017.
“As do you, we ‘seek common ground, not hostility, partnership, not conflict,’” said the letter to Trump from academic leaders. “In order to maintain the trust required for such productive engagement, it is essential that we immediately reaffirm the core values of our democratic nation: human decency, equal rights, freedom of expression, and freedom from discrimination,” the letter continued.
“As college and university presidents, we commit ourselves to promoting these values on our campuses and in our communities, and we stand alongside the business, nonprofit, religious, and civic leaders who are doing the same in organizations large and small,” the letter continued.
“In light of your pledge to be ‘President for all Americans,’ we urge you to condemn and work to prevent the harassment, hate, and acts of violence that are being perpetrated across our nation, sometimes in your name which is now synonymous with our nation’s highest office,” the presidents said. “In our schools, on job sites and college campuses, on public streets and in coffee shops, members of our communities, our children, our families, our neighbors, our students, and our employees are facing very real threats, and are frightened,” the appeal said.
“One of the roles of leaders is to protect and empower the most vulnerable. As President-elect, this responsibility rests heavily on you. Let this be a mark of your leadership,” the higher education chief executives said.
The letter was signed by a wide range of university chief executives from Elizabeth Davis, president of Furman University, the private Southern liberal arts institution, to Scott Bierman, president of Beloit College, the private Midwestern university, to Dr. Frank G. Pogue Jr., interim president of Cheney University of Pennsylvania, to Mark McCoy, president of DePauw University, the prestigious, private liberal arts institution in Indiana and Lisa A. Rossbacher, president of Humbolt State University, one of the California State University four-year institutions.
