The Department of Education published a public letter titled “A National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards” on Aug. 3, urging university leaders and governing boards to commit to three specific principles, answer a series of seven questions centering on reforms and display their responses publicly by the end of 2026.
The principles outlined in the letter include “rigorous teaching, pathbreaking research, and national service.”
Since Cornell has until the end of the year to publish its commitment to the principles, a University spokesperson declined to comment on its plans at the time of publication.
The seven questions listed by U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon span transparency in admissions, free speech, intellectual pluralism, affordability, artificial intelligence, protections from foreign actors and a university's contribution to “American societal success.”
“American universities must put Americans, and American interests, first,” the letter reads.
The letter does not offer any incentives to universities that follow its requests or clarify if there would be consequences for those that refuse.
By outlining these commitments, the ED hopes to “rebuild public confidence and trust” in universities, something the letter states is at a “record low.”
The ED stated in the letter that it believes this call to action will drive reforms, something which it notes some universities have already begun by “adopting positions of institutional neutrality and improving policies related to campus protests.”
In February 2026, the University’s Presidential Task Force on Institutional Voice released recommendations on how and when Cornell should issue official statements on social and political issues, specifically calling for “institutional restraint.”
“By limiting institutional voice to matters germane to the University’s mission and to higher education, Cornell respects and protects the individual voices of faculty, staff, and students as they exercise their freedom to speak,” the task force’s statement reads.
Additionally, Cornell changed its policies regarding public speech through the creation of an interim expressive activity policy in January 2024, which faced criticism from students and faculty following its release. The University’s Expressive Activity Policy was finalized in March 2025.
Valencia Massaro is a member of the Class of 2029 in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She is a senior writer for the news department and can be reached at vmassaro@cornellsun.com.
