Riverside Community College District chancellor signed a joint statement alongside more than 200 United States colleges and associates condemning the Trump administration’s interference in higher education institutions. 

RCCD Chancellor Wolde-Ab Isaac, alongside presidents from neighboring colleges including the University of California, Riverside, the University of Redlands and California State University, San Bernardino, signed onto this public statement released by the American Association of Colleges and Universities on April 22. 

Signatories included public and private universities, community colleges and Ivy league institutions as well as higher education associates. 

“As leaders of America’s colleges, universities, and scholarly societies, we speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education,” the statement said.

The statement recognizes the sovereignty of higher education institutions of which they can decide “whom to admit and what is taught, how, and by whom.”

“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, the administration has vocalized measures to reduce funding for universities. 

Following Harvard University’s lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging a $2.2 billion freeze on federal funding for research, concerns for the independence of American higher education have risen throughout the nation. 

Chancellor Isaac could not be reached for a statement at this time.