Dartmouth president accused of cowardice for staying neutral as Trump targets elite schools

The president of Dartmouth is winning praise from conservatives, while her critics in academia accuse her of cowardice and conformity for her stance on viewpoint diversity.

A piece from the New Yorker details the embattled president, Sian Beilock, vowing to uphold institutional neutrality amid the federal government’s feud with higher education and rampant antisemitism on college campuses.

Dartmouth declined to join a coalition of over 600 universities, including its Ivy League counterparts, in signing a letter in defense of Harvard University as it fights the Trump administration's attempts to freeze billions in funding.

In an email to the Dartmouth community explaining her decision not to join the coalition, Beilock reportedly wrote that "receivership, censorship, and external pressures about what can and cannot be taught or studied hamper the free exchange of ideas on our campus and across institutions. Dartmouth will never relent on these values."

President of Dartmouth Sian Beilock's stance of neutrality on political issues is praised by conservatives, yet attacked by academics. (Getty)

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Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld slammed Beilock’s decision to decline to sign the letter.

"This is a mix of cowardice, hypocrisy, and naïveté," Sonnenfeld said. "This is Trump’s classic playbook: divide and conquer." 

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion," Beilock told the New Yorker when asked her about the criticism she has received for her decisions. "People ask, ‘Why aren’t you suing Trump like Harvard?’ Well, [the Administration hasn’t] made those kinds of demands." 

President Donald Trump has suspended federal funding to every Ivy League school, except for Penn and Dartmouth, over investigations into anti-Israel protests that have taken place on their campuses since October 2023. 

Beilock maintains that the university’s position is "saving the idea of the university," the New Yorker noted, citing a piece she wrote in the outlet last year explaining her approach.

Beilock was the first female president appointed to Dartmouth in 2022. She formerly served as president of Barnard College.

The New Yorker noted that the Dartmouth president’s primary objective was to take "aim at the perceived censoriousness of campus discourse." Beilock created "brave spaces," a subversive play on the common phrase "safe spaces."

Building upon that sentiment, Beilock launched "Dartmouth Dialogues" to facilitate free speech and debate.

A piece from the New Yorker details the embattled president, Sian Beilock, vowing to uphold viewpoint diversity amid the federal government’s feud with higher education, especially Harvard, and rampant antisemitism on college campuses. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Beilock introduced a policy of "institutional restraint," mandating that Dartmouth officials, employees and staff refrain from issuing "institutional statements" in order to "provide space for diverse viewpoints to be raised and fully considered …"

The New Yorker reported further that "Beilock clashed with Wesleyan’s president, Michael Roth, over her adherence to what he called 'a new form of conformism.' Roth went on, 'As a heterodox person, and as a Jew, I’m very suspicious when my compatriots find a new religion, be it viewpoint diversity or be it institutional neutrality.'"

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Beilock’s handling of campus protests in the wake of the Gaza conflict was condemned by students and faculty members.

After police clashed with Dartmouth affiliates in a protest in May 2024 where an encampment was constructed, Beilock defended the actions of the police, adding that the encampments were a violation of the school’s policy and that their presence was necessary to prevent further violence. 

Following the events, a motion to censure Beilock was introduced by religion professor Christopher MacEvitt and history professor Annelise Orleck who were both arrested during the protest. 

Beilock was censured in a 183-163 vote.

An anti-Israel protest by Harvard students and sympathizers.  (JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

As of publication, more than 2,700 people signed an alumni petition to urge Dartmouth College to fight federal government attacks on higher education.

The petition claims that "our institutions of higher learning face an unparalleled and thoroughgoing assault from the federal government," without directly mentioning the Trump administration.

On the other hand, Beilock's convictions have been praised by conservatives.

"Her ideas have earned praise from free-speech advocates, conservative publications, and members of the Trump Administration, along with furious condemnation from academic leaders convinced that universities must stand united against Trump," the New Yorker reported.

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the US Department of Justice, whic is currently investigating most Ivy League institutions for antisemitism, was noted by the New Yorker as praising Beilock's efforts:

"I was so impressed to learn how Dartmouth (my alma mater) is getting it right, after all these years. Kudos to Dartmouth! I heard Jewish student applications are way up!"

A bicyclist passes a college tour group outside the Baker Library at Dartmouth College, April 7, 2023, in Hanover, N.H.  (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

"I like my president," Jeff Immelt, the former CEO of GE, reportedly wrote on LinkedIn.

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Beilock did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.