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At least one Colorado university says it doesn’t intend to answer a Trump administration questionnaire sent to colleges and universities earlier this month that federal officials said will build trust with the American people.
Other institutions of higher education in the state, including Colorado’s two largest public university systems, said they haven’t decided if they will respond to the questions in the letter from U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon. The letter asks officials about their approach to free speech, research, admissions, campus protests, and more. McMahon also asked them to post their answers prominently on their schools’ websites by the end of the year.
The letter doesn’t include threats regarding investigations or funding, unlike the administration’s previous attempts to exert influence, and overall it strikes a relatively collaborative tone. Yet it represents the latest test for higher education leaders as Trump officials look to shape college campus policy across the country, and at a time when Americans’ confidence in higher education is low.
Many of the questions in the Aug. 3 letter address issues typically decided by individual campuses, their leaders, and faculty.
A Colorado Mesa University spokesperson said the school does not plan to formally respond to the letter.
“The public record of why and how we deliver on our mission already demonstrates our commitment,” a Colorado Mesa University spokesperson said. ”How we serve students every day is the reaffirmation.”
Neither the Colorado State University System nor the University of Colorado System said whether they would formally respond. Together, the systems represent seven universities in the state, including in Fort Collins and Boulder.
A CU System spokesperson said the school is reviewing the letter, as did a CSU System spokesperson.
“Our institutions’ commitments to rigorous teaching, impactful research, and service to Colorado and the nation are longstanding and demonstrated daily,” said Tiana Kennedy, CSU and CSU System associate vice president for communications.
Other universities, including the Colorado School of Mines and Adams State University, also said they were reviewing the letter.
Metropolitan State University of Denver didn’t say whether it was considering the letter, but a spokesperson said that the school has long focused on many of the issues highlighted by McMahon.
“We remain committed to delivering value for students and taxpayers, preparing graduates to succeed in a changing economy and contributing to the communities we serve,” said Tim Carroll, a school spokesperson.
Colorado Western University and Fort Lewis College didn’t respond to a request for comment. The Colorado Community College System didn’t return a request by deadline.
Nationwide, schools in North Carolina and Florida have decided to answer McMahon’s call. And other universities, such as in Iowa, have been pressured by lawmakers to respond. Others haven’t said what their intentions are.
McMahon’s letter was written with input from the American Association of Universities, according to an Inside Higher Ed report. The association represents 71 of the nation’s most influential research universities, including the University of Colorado Boulder. But other groups representing some of the same institutions in Colorado are questioning the letter’s approach.
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities said land grant universities “already work every day to meet goals outlined in the Department’s letter.” The organization’s members include several Colorado universities, including CSU Fort Collins, CU Boulder, and the Colorado School of Mines.
The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges also raised concerns, saying the responsibility of university improvements rests with governing boards and institutional leaders.
And the American Association of University Professors, a national faculty union, slammed the letter and said it asks “colleges and universities to align themselves with a far-right agenda at the expense of students’ education and the public’s well-being.”
David Baime, senior vice president for government relations at the American Association of Community Colleges, called the questionnaire confusing.
Baime, whose association says it represents 15 member colleges in Colorado, wrote that much of the letter focused on “elite research institutions” but not others, including community colleges.
Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.
