Photo by Emma Sylvester for The Lafayette

Signatories of the letter include substantial representation from Lafayette College’s peer institutions.

Lafayette College President Nicole Hurd signed onto a letter released Tuesday condemning “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” in American higher education by the Trump administration. The letter, signed by more than 250 college presidents and higher education leaders, comes after Harvard University — the president of which is also a signatory — refused to comply with a list of demands from the federal government.

“This call for constructive engagement aligns with Lafayette College’s mission and values,” an email sent by college spokesman Scott Morse on Hurd’s behalf read.

“Lafayette, at its core—past and present—stands on the principles articulated in the statement, in particular the importance of not ‘abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education,’” the email continues.

Morse previously did not rule out complying with the Trump administration if the college were to be threatened by it.

In the letter — published by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, of which Lafayette is a member — the signatories reject “the coercive use of public research funding” and “undue government intrusion,” though they add that they are “open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight.”

Hurd deferred comment to Morse on what such reform and oversight would look like at Lafayette. Morse wrote in an email that “it would be premature and inappropriate to speculate without knowing what is possible through constructive engagement.”

A spokesman for the American Association of Colleges and Universities pointed to a news release that also did not address what would be accepted reform and oversight.

Signatories of the Tuesday letter represent a broad range of American undergraduate institutions, including substantial representation from the country’s small liberal arts colleges. Similar selective liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, such as Bates College, Haverford College, Amherst College and Williams College, signed onto the letter.

Earlier this month, 82 past and present college presidents, including two former Lafayette presidents, signed onto a separate letter published in Fortune Magazine decrying the Trump administration’s actions in higher education and backing Harvard’s resistance. Hurd was not approached about this letter, according to the email sent by Morse on her behalf.

Former Lafayette College president Alison Byerly, the current president of Carleton College, was one of just eight current presidents to sign the letter. She also signed the American Association of Colleges and Universities letter.

“One of the challenges of the current moment for higher education is that it is difficult to know how to push back against vague threats on many different fronts,” Byerly wrote in an email. “Until there is a specific action to protest, it’s hard to know where to start.”

“There is no question that many people felt heartened by seeing Harvard offer such a strong response to the very specific and alarming demands they received from the federal government,” she added.

Former Lafayette College president Daniel Weiss, who served before Byerly, said he signed the letter because he felt “very strongly that we need to speak out about what we think is right.”

“That means something,” he said. “To hear from such a large number of people who have led institutions, that we know something about what’s at stake.”