“I will not be bookended by two fascist regimes.” writes Joachim Frank of Columbia University

  Joachim Frank, who shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, powerfully condemns the attacks on universities, and what he sees as the failure of his own university, Columbia, to mount  a principled defense.

“I will not be bookended by two fascist regimes.” he begins, recounting his birth in Germany, and his immigration to the U.S. as a young scientist. 

 But current events move him to write

"But in 2025, things are starting to feel all too reminiscent of the world I left behind in the Germany of my childhood." 

Nobel Winner: Colleges Teach Critical Thinkers. That’s Why We’re Being Targeted., US News & World Reports, Oct. 7

 "Autocrats try to control universities because we nurture independent thought. It’s time to defend our freedoms."

...

 "Columbia University, where I work as a professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics, was put in a difficult historical position by being one of the first universities in the Trump administration’s line of fire earlier this year. In July, the university was pressured to pay the
government $200 million and accept numerous outrageous demands – including limiting international student admissions and allowing outside oversight of certain academic disciplines –in order to unfreeze $1.3 billion in federal funding the Trump administration had withheld to bully Columbia into compliance.

"I had hoped the leadership of my esteemed university would resist the administration’s unreasonable demands, rather than negotiating away its autonomy. But instead of suing the government for illegally freezing grants – as Harvard did – Columbia caved in, setting a
dangerous precedent that encouraged those in power to escalate pressure on other institutions. Trump is now demanding that Harvard pay $500 million and UCLA cough up $1 billion – and accept other conditions to end persecution by the government."

 

 HT: Richard Roberts

 

 

Universities under attack, in Israel and the U.S., by warfare and lawfare

Both the U.S. and Israel have distinguished universities, some older than the country in which they sit.

Both have universities that have recently been under attack from their enemies.

 Two stories:

This, from Haaretz:

'We Were Targeted': Iran Put Israel's Scientific Research High on Their Kill List  by Gid'on Lev and Noa Limone

“Even before the war with Iran, Israeli universities and research institutes were suffering their two toughest years ever. Hundreds of faculty members and students were killed or wounded in Gaza, while tens of thousands were diverted from their studies and research by reserve duty, or were forced to leave their homes near Gaza or the Lebanese border. 

"Compounding this were the government's efforts to curb academic freedom – and then the 12-day war with Iran raised the bar to a record high. "For the first time, we were really targeted," says the chairman of the Association of University Heads, Prof. Daniel Chamovitz. 

“This began with a direct hit on the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot southeast of Tel Aviv, and continued with two strikes on Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the south. A week ago, Iranian missiles damaged Tel Aviv University, and during the war Tehran put out a warning suggesting it was targeting the Technion.”

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And this, from the NYT (one of many):

Trump Administration Finds Harvard Violated Civil Rights Law  By Michael C. Bender and Alan Blinder

Axel Ockenfels to head new Adenauer School of Government in Cologne

 Here's the press release:

University of Cologne founds Adenauer School of Government 

"On 5 June 2025, the University of Cologne and the non-profit Alfred Landecker Foundation, founded by the Reimann family, signed a cooperation agreement to establish the Adenauer School of Government (ASG). The aim of the ASG is to establish itself as a leading, non-partisan center for public policy, governance and administrative sciences that helps to shape relevant developments in economics and other research fields. The school will be funded for an unlimited term, with an initial budget of ten million euros per year.

...

"Professor Dr Axel Ockenfels was appointed head of the Adenauer School of Government. He is Professor of Economics at the University of Cologne and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods in Bonn. In addition to establishing the School as a central academic institution and preparing a study and research programme, the university will also initiate the first appointment procedures in the coming months."

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Here's the new school's new web page: Adenauer School of Government 

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem's centennial party is cancelled

The Hebrew University in Jerusalem is older than the state of Israel, and is and has been a steady anchor in difficult times.  It was scheduled to celebrate its 100th anniversary on Monday. I was planning to attend. 

But here’s the latest

" It is with deep regret that we inform you of the cancellation of this year’s Board of Governors events at the Hebrew University, in accordance with the directives of Israel’s Homefront Command and in light of the current security situation. ... We thank you for your understanding and continued support, and we join together in hoping for quieter and peaceful days ahead."

On behalf of the Hebrew University,

The Hebrew University Celebrates 100 Years Since Its Opening 

 "The Hebrew University of Jerusalem celebrates its centennial as a pioneering academic institution that has significantly shaped Israel’s intellectual, scientific, and cultural landscape. Founded by visionaries like Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann, the university has been a hub for groundbreaking research, producing leaders in various fields and fostering global academic collaborations. It continues to excel in innovation, diversity, and industry partnerships, reinforcing its commitment to education, scientific advancement, and societal impact as it embarks on its second century."

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As part of the ceremonies, the Hebrew University planned to award a number of prizes, and ten honorary doctorates (including to two economists and a computer scientist:) 

Harvard's lawsuit against the Trump administration

 Read it and weep for our country:

"7. Defendants’ actions are unlawful. The First Amendment does not permit the Government to “interfere with private actors’ speech to advance its own vision of ideological balance,” Moody v. NetChoice, 603 U.S. 707, 741 (2024), nor may the Government “rely[] on the ‘threat of invoking legal sanctions and other means of coercion . . . to achieve the suppression’ of disfavored speech,” Nat’l Rifle Ass’n v. Vullo, 602 U.S. 175, 189 (2024) (citation omitted). The Government’s attempt to coerce and control Harvard disregards these fundamental First Amendment principles, which safeguard Harvard’s “academic freedom.” Asociacion de Educacion Privada de P.R., Inc. v. Garcia-Padilla, 490 F.3d 1, 8 (1st Cir. 2007). A threat such as this to a university’s academic freedom strikes an equal blow to the research conducted and resulting advancements made on its campus.
8. The Government’s actions flout not just the First Amendment, but also federal laws
and regulations. The Government has expressly invoked the protections against discrimination
contained in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a basis for its actions. Make no mistake: Harvard rejects antisemitism and discrimination in all of its forms and is actively making structural reforms to eradicate antisemitism on campus. But rather than engage with Harvard regarding those ongoing efforts, the Government announced a sweeping freeze of funding for medical, scientific, technological, and other research that has nothing at all to do with antisemitism and Title VI compliance. Moreover, Congress in Title VI set forth detailed procedures that the Government “shall” satisfy before revoking federal funding based on discrimination concerns. 42 U.S.C. § 2000d-1. Those procedures effectuate Congress’s desire that “termination of or refusal to grant or to continue” federal financial assistance be a remedy of last resort. Id. The Government made no effort to follow those procedures—nor the procedures provided for in Defendants’ own agency regulations—before freezing Harvard’s federal funding.
9. These fatal procedural shortcomings are compounded by the arbitrary and
capricious nature of Defendants’ abrupt and indiscriminate decision..."