In a significant academic exodus, three Yale University professors have announced their decision to leave the United States for Canada, citing President Donald Trump’s administration as the primary reason for their departure. The professors—Jason Stanley, Timothy Snyder, and Marci Shore—expressed frustration with the increasing political pressures on higher education in the U.S., which they believe stifles academic freedom and freedom of expression.
In particular, Stanley pointed to the Trump administration’s attacks on universities, particularly its stance on student protests and the Department of Education’s recent threats to revoke federal funding from universities that do not comply with new interpretations of civil rights laws. For these professors, the escalating political climate in the United States has become untenable, prompting their move to the University of Toronto. Here’s a closer look at why these scholars decided to leave and what it means for the future of academic freedom.
Why Yale Professors Are Leaving for Canada
Jason Stanley, a prominent philosophy professor at Yale, has long been vocal about his concerns regarding the rise of authoritarianism in the U.S. He’s the author of books such as “How Fascism Works” and “Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future”. Stanley’s decision to leave the U.S. for the University of Toronto was influenced by what he describes as the Trump administration’s increasing authoritarianism and its aggressive stance towards academic institutions.
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Stanley’s Concerns Over Trump’s Impact on Higher Education: Stanley recently wrote an op-ed for The Guardian titled, “Trump is setting the US on a path to educational authoritarianism.” In it, he condemned the Department of Education’s threats to revoke funding from universities that do not comply with new interpretations of civil rights laws. Stanley sees these actions as a direct attack on academic freedom and the integrity of university campuses.
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Protests and Government Crackdowns: The move also stems from the administration’s crackdown on student protests, particularly those related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Stanley was particularly upset by the cancellation of $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University after it failed to comply with the Trump administration’s demands regarding the handling of student-led pro-Palestinian protests. For Stanley, the university’s capitulation to the administration’s demands marked a point of no return.
“**We see universities saying things like, ‘We’re going to keep our head down so we’re not targeted,’” Stanley said in a PBS interview. For him, this suggests that academic freedom in the U.S. has become increasingly compromised under the Trump administration’s political agenda.
Timothy Snyder and Marci Shore: A Unified Decision to Leave
In addition to Stanley, Timothy Snyder and his wife, Marci Shore, both Yale professors, also made the decision to relocate to Canada. They are both set to join the University of Toronto in the 2025-2026 academic year.
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Timothy Snyder: A historian with expertise in American politics, authoritarianism, and global affairs, Snyder’s work has focused on strategies for averting the rise of authoritarian regimes. His decision to leave Yale was solidified by Trump’s continued attacks on higher education. Snyder has written extensively about the Trump administration’s stigmatization of universities and the erosion of freedom of expression. In one of his recent posts on Substack, he criticised the administration’s actions against student protests, stating that the stigmatization of specific protests is part of a broader strategy to delegitimize higher education in America.
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Marci Shore: An expert in modern European intellectual history, Shore’s work focuses on the intellectual movements that underpin the development of political ideologies in Europe. Shore’s decision to leave Yale for Toronto was reinforced by her concerns about the broader political climate and the Trump administration’s crackdown on academic institutions and student movements.
The Broader Impact on Yale and U.S. Higher Education
These departures are emblematic of a growing trend among academics and intellectuals who are leaving the U.S. due to the political climate. Trump’s administration has been criticised for undermining academic freedom and politicising universities to an unprecedented extent.
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The Trump Administration’s Impact on Universities: The administration has repeatedly targeted universities for their handling of student protests and their perceived biases in favour of left-wing politics. From threats to withdraw funding from universities that support pro-Palestinian demonstrations to attempts to censor curriculum content, Trump’s policies have sparked concerns about the future of higher education in the U.S.
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Student Protests and Government Interference: Protests on college campuses have long been a symbol of American democracy. However, under the Trump administration, these protests have been targeted by both federal and state governments. Students advocating for political causes, particularly around issues like Palestinian rights and racial justice, have found themselves at odds with university administrators and government officials.
The University of Toronto’s Response
The University of Toronto has welcomed the three professors with open arms. Their move to the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy is seen as a significant boost to the school’s reputation, especially in the fields of global affairs, political theory, and intellectual history.
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Munk School’s Global Reach: According to Janice Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs, the arrival of professors like Stanley, Snyder, and Shore is part of the school’s ongoing commitment to attracting scholars with international reputations. Their expertise in history, philosophy, and global affairs will undoubtedly contribute to the school’s mission of fostering critical, global dialogue on pressing political issues.
The Future of Higher Education in the U.S. and Canada
The decisions by Stanley, Snyder, and Shore to leave Yale for Canada underline a broader concern about the future of academia in the U.S. Under the Trump administration, the landscape for higher education has become increasingly hostile to academic freedom, open discourse, and student protests.
As political climates shift, it remains to be seen whether other scholars and academic institutions will follow the lead of these professors. For now, the move by Stanley, Snyder, and Shore serves as a powerful reminder of the challenges faced by academia in the United States today.
Photo credit: Stamford Advocate
