*Z2B. US Universities Under Attack: Past, Present, and Future
History & World Affairs | Registration closed 9/13/2025
Today we’re witnessing the systematic dismantling of US universities as independent “ivory towers.” Under the guise of combating antisemitism, the Trump administration is cutting funds; controlling course content; and firing, arresting, deporting, and barring perceived academic opponents from entry. Through conversations with experts, we will examine the historic antecedents in the US and how other authoritarian regimes have targeted academic institutions. We will analyze Project Esther, the Heritage Foundation’s playbill for crushing universities, and hear about the devastating impacts of Trump’s actions and how academics are responding and resisting. Finally, we will assess what the future portends for US universities.
At our final class, on October 9 at 3 p.m., Bard President Leon Botstein will speak on “Authoritarianism and the Future of US Universities.” This special talk will be open to all members of Bard LLI on Zoom and in person in Olin Hall.
LINK to additional data on the weekly Presenters
Martha Honey
Presenter & Host
Martha Honey, PhD, (LLI) worked as a journalist for 20 years in Africa and Central America, reporting for BBC Radio, NPR, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The New York Times. She is active in LLI’s Civic Engagement Team and has helped produce courses on African Americans and Native Americans in the Hudson Valley, Racism and the Rise of the Right, and US Immigration Policy.
Felice Gelman
Presenter & Host
Felice Gelman, MA, MBA, (LLI) is a retired investment manager. She has traveled extensively in Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel. She spent the last 18 years working to support a theatre and cultural center in the city of Jenin in the West Bank of Palestine—The Freedom Theatre. She also helped produce three of The Freedom Theatre’s plays in the United States. Most recently, she enjoyed working on the Bard LLI multipresenter class Immigration—Too Hot to Handle?
Carmela Gersbeck
Class Manager & Session Manager
Martha Gershun
Presenter & Host
Martha Gershun, LLB, (LLI) received her LLB from New York University. Recently, and locally, she was an editor at the much-mourned Hudson Valley Pilot. She lives in Rhinebeck.
Patricia Keeton
Presenter & Host
Pat Keeton, PhD, (LLI) earned her degree in cinema studies from NYU. She is emerita professor of communication arts at Ramapo College of NJ. She and Peter Scheckner co-authored American War Cinema and Media Since Vietnam, Ideology and Class (2013). Her areas of research and publication include Latin American media and cinema, global media, film genre, and social class representation.
Jackie Olivet
Session Manager
Jackie Olivet, JD, (LLI) practiced law in the Hudson Valley for 20 years while also serving as a City of Kingston assistant city attorney, as an Ulster County assistant district attorney, and as a law guardian for children. She then became a full time secondary ed social studies teacher for 20 years teaching history, government, economics, and criminal justice in addition to being an adjunct instructor with Dutchess Community College teaching law courses.