Key Takeaways:
- The Trump administration’s attacks on academia have intensified, with cuts to funding for research labeled "woke" and punitive measures against students who engage in pro-Palestine speech.
- The administration’s actions are inhibiting the education of the country’s future technology experts by increasing political discord on college campuses, reducing funding, and chilling the speech of students and professors.
- Professors who teach at the intersection of disability rights and technology are facing significant challenges, including the disappearance of funding opportunities.
- Despite these challenges, educators remain committed to teaching about technology in ways that are honest and intersectional, and to cultivating the next generation of AI experts.
- The administration’s policies are likely to discourage scholars and emerging technologists from understanding the role that technology plays in society, and from addressing its negative impacts.
Introduction to the Issue
The Trump administration has been targeting professors, students, and protestors on college campuses, using the power of the Oval Office to intensify its attacks on academia. This is not a new phenomenon, as conservative organizations and politicians have been targeting higher education for years as a proxy for other ideological battles, often under the guise of defending "free speech" on campuses. However, the executive branch’s actions in 2025 have taken a more aggressive turn, with cuts to funding for research labeled "woke" and an onslaught of punitive measures directed at students who engage in pro-Palestine speech and lawsuits targeting elite institutions.
The Impact on Education
In parallel to these attacks, the administration has been touting its commitment to investing in tech and artificial intelligence (AI), with a particular emphasis on "train[ing] the next generation of American AI researchers." However, these two priorities are incongruous, as the administration’s actions are inhibiting the education of the country’s future technology experts. By increasing political discord on college campuses, reducing funding, and chilling the speech of students and professors, the rhetoric and actions of this administration are undermining the very foundations of education. The December announcement that the State Department would vet H1B applicants to screen out anyone whose work history includes content moderation, trust and safety, or other roles that the Trump administration characterizes as "censorship" — along with their families — underscores these dynamics.
The Effects on Professors and Students
The effects of the Trump administration’s campus crackdown have been felt not only by teachers but also by students at all levels across institutions. Many international students may be concerned about traveling home for holiday breaks; others may be internalizing the administration’s rhetoric and becoming less willing to engage with material that centers the impacts of tech on disabled people. Professors who teach at the intersection of disability rights and technology are facing significant challenges, including the disappearance of funding opportunities. The interviews with four professors who teach at this intersection highlight the importance of continuing to teach tech in context, concerns over funding, the impact of the administration’s policy and rhetoric on students, and a shared commitment to the work despite the mounting challenges.
The Importance of Intersectional Education
One of the most commonly expressed perspectives from each expert was that, despite the administration’s distaste for all things "DEI," it is nearly impossible to teach about technology without also including perspectives on how tech impacts people differently depending on a range of factors, including their identities. From the conversations with these professors, it seems clear that to truly cultivate the next generation of AI experts, students need educators who are willing to grapple with tech’s impact on marginalized communities. Ly Xīnzhèn M. Zhǎngsūn Brown notes that "when we talk about and teach technology in the classroom, we need to teach critical perspectives and the skills that students need to have to analyze how they are using technologies, as well as what technologies we should be creating, how we should be regulating them, and who, of course, should be designing and using those technologies."
Funding Challenges
Many academics rely on federal funding to support their research, but the Trump administration has placed new restrictions on which projects qualify for federal funding, with a particular focus on reducing or entirely cutting funding to researchers whose work may focus on marginalized communities. This can include work on responsible or ethical use of technology, including AI – a tension several experts noted, given the administration’s supposed goal of encouraging AI research. Rua Williams notes that "I’ve had my funding impacted both by direct cuts and also by loss of programs… a lot of funding impacts are actually because the things that we would have applied to are also disappearing."
The Impact on Students
The effects of the Trump administration’s campus crackdown have been felt not only by teachers but also by students at all levels across institutions. Ashley Shew notes that "Spring of 2025 was the first semester I’ve ever had people walk out in the middle of lecture. And it happened twice this semester, both times when I was reading aloud from the work of other disabled people." Damien Williams notes that "I have noticed my students driving conversations in wanting to talk about the changes in society…[and] how different experiences show up in technology, show up in data sometimes…What I have seen over the past year is more and more students bringing their concerns into class."
Conclusion and Commitment to Education
While this administration’s actions seem to undermine the research and development of responsible and ethical technology, the role of institutions, educators, administrators, and students remains vital in pushing back. The professors interviewed — and so many others throughout the nation — have remained steadfast in their commitment to teaching about technology in ways that are honest and intersectional. Ly Xīnzhèn M. Zhǎngsūn Brown notes that "I believe that it is our responsibility as educators to give our students a solid foundation in understanding not just how to use technologies, but also to think about the bigger questions of ethical use and development of those technologies, why those questions matter, and what type of society we are imagining based on the types of technologies that we desire and build." Despite the challenges, educators remain committed to their vocations, and to the belief that the future can be better than the present — as long as we are willing to continue to work for it.
