We, the undersigned leaders, employees, researchers and students of the largest higher education and research universities across the United States of America, in recognizing the essential role of academic freedom in a democratic society, the importance of institutional autonomy, and the sacred trust of educating future generations free from political interference, hereby establish the Academic Mutual Protection Alliance (AMPA).
When political pressures increasingly threaten the independence of academic institutions, when financial leverage is being deployed to compel ideological compliance, when the targeting of students based on political viewpoints undermines the educational mission, we commit ourselves here to the defense of and collective action in preservation of our fundamental academic values.
The gravity of this moment requires leadership with both the courage and conviction to stand united against political interference in the academic mission.
1. AMPA affirms that an attack against one member institution constitutes an attack against all.
2. AMPA exists to preserve academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and student rights against coordinated political interference, particularly from federal authorities using financial or regulatory mechanisms for ideological purposes.
3. AMPA recognizes that while public funding may come with reasonable accountability requirements, such funding must never be weaponized to advance partisan agendas or suppress specific viewpoints.
4. AMPA is non-partisan and dedicated solely to preserving the integrity of higher education as an independent sphere of American society.
AMPA recognizes the following as actionable attacks requiring alliance response:
1. Selective withholding of federal funding based on an institution's academic positions, campus climate, or refusal to implement politically-motivated directives.
2. Targeted investigations of students, faculty, or administrators based on protected speech or political affiliation rather than legitimate violations of law.
3. Implementation of funding conditions that compel speech or institutional positions on contested political issues.
4. Regulatory and other legal and pseudo-legal actions designed primarily to penalize institutions for maintaining academic independence on controversial topics.
5. Legislative efforts specifically targeting higher education institutions for maintaining viewpoint diversity or protecting academic freedom.
AMPA shall establish robust financial defense mechanisms including:
1. Immediate deployment of endowment reserves to replace politically motivated funding cuts targeting individual campuses, departments, or student financial support for a minimum period of one year.
2. Creation of a financial network for endowments to support cross campus loans and other rapid financial mechanisms and cost sharing processes to pool "defense" spending when one member is attacked, to be repaid after the acute crisis is resolved.
3. Establishment of an Emergency Academic Freedom Fund with contributions proportional to each institution's total assets, set at 1%.
4. Development of alternative funding streams, particularly for research, independent of politically vulnerable government sources such as the NIH and other US federal programs.
5. Coordination of donor outreach to support specifically targeted programs and departments.
1. The AMPA Council shall consist of two elected representatives from each member institution.
2. Determination of an "attack" triggering a formal response from the alliance shall require a majority vote of the Council.
3. Once an attack is formally recognized, all members are bound by mutual defense obligations unless exempted by a three-fourths vote of the Council due to extraordinary circumstances.
4. An Executive Committee of seven Council members shall be elected to two-year terms to manage day-to-day operations and make emergency determinations when full Council deliberation is not feasible.
5. Decisions shall prioritize consensus while recognizing the need for timely action during crises.
When a member institution faces an attack as defined in Article II, an attack against one shall be considered an attack against all. Upon formal recognition of an attack, all AMPA members shall commit to immediate collective action including:
1. Immediate public solidarity through coordinated statements from all member institutions.
2. Rapid strategic communications interventions to help shape emerging public narratives, including:
a. Coordinated media strategy across all member institutions
b. Deployment of communication resources to affected institutions
c. Direct engagement with key stakeholders and opinion leaders
3. Legal resource sharing, including coordination of litigation strategies, amicus briefs, and shared legal counsel.
4. Technical support, including cybersecurity assistance and IT infrastructure support when needed.
5. Human resource support, including temporary exchanges of administrative personnel or faculty to strengthen targeted departments or programs.
6. Administrative support for affected students, including cross-institutional enrollment options when necessary.
7. Where legally permissible, coordinated responses to regulatory or reporting requirements that constitute overreach.
8. Activation of financial defense mechanisms as outlined in Article III.
The collective response shall be proportional to the attack but decisive in its implementation. No member institution shall stand alone.
1. Founding members shall consist of accredited degree-granting institutions that ratify this Charter.
2. New members may join with a two-thirds approval vote from the Council.
3. Member institutions must maintain accreditation and demonstrate ongoing commitment to academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
4. Membership may be suspended or revoked only for actions fundamentally inconsistent with AMPA principles, requiring a three-fourths Council vote.
1. Member institutions shall contribute to an AMPA Defense Fund proportional to their operating budgets.
2. The Executive Committee shall maintain a rapid response capability, including dedicated legal counsel and communications resources.
3. AMPA shall establish secure channels for sharing intelligence regarding potential or emerging threats.
4. Administrative operations shall be hosted by member institutions on a rotating basis.
In establishing AMPA, we affirm our commitment to preserving American higher education as an independent, diverse, and intellectually vibrant sector essential to our democratic society. We reject any attempt to transform universities into instruments of political agendas, regardless of ideological origin. Through mutual protection, we secure not just our individual institutions, but the future of American higher education itself.
To sign, contact nsjacobs at ucla.edu from your institutional email.