Join Harvard, TVP Comms, and me in a fight for what we love
I’ve made it very clear that I’ve been ready for someone, anyone, to push back against the administration’s treatment of higher education, and I was pleased when Harvard said no to the administration’s demands.
As I read the social media responses to Harvard’s decision midweek, one post struck a nerve. A faculty member asked what those companies that make money off of higher education were doing to support it. I knew I had talked to the media in support of Harvard’s decision (thank you to The Chron, WSJ, The Guardian, and News Nation for including me in their coverage) and I wrote a piece for Inside Higher Ed’s Call to Action encouraging others to join Harvard in the fight. I was counseling leaders across the country behind the scenes on their approaches to defend their institutions and their students. I am vocal on Trusted Voices about how I feel about these topics. I donate to numerous institutions across the country and to scholarship funds, some of which I was the beneficiary when I was a student. I wondered if that was enough.
And then I realized… perhaps there is something more I can do. I contacted graphic designer Savannah Parrot of Parrot Like the Bird and asked if she would help me with a project. I asked if she could develop a series of designs for shirts and sweatshirts featuring the phrase “fight for higher education” that could appeal to everyone because support of higher education isn’t a red or a blue fight, or a young or old fight. It’s a fight for all of us to show what we value and want for our future.
I asked Erin to recommend a charity we could support through the sale of this merchandise. She suggested PEN America, a nonprofit that supports freedom of speech, academic freedom, freedom of expression, and journalists; and fights book bans and educational censorship. I loved this idea, because our work is focused on helping colleges and universities tell their stories and using the power of words to help institutions describe their impact.
And with that, I ask you to help join me in the fight. The fight for higher education.