In the early weeks of his presidency, President Donald Trump and his administration issued numerous executive orders (EO), many of which could affect Villanova University’s students and faculty.
The EOs have placed universities at the center of political debates surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). These policies have had sweeping effects on academic research, funding and scholarship.
On Jan. 27, the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a vague memorandum. It announced a pause on all federal funding to conduct an investigation until the administration “complete[d] a comprehensive analysis of all of their Federal financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects and activities,” that may be affected by the administration’s EOs.
The memo was rescinded, and a federal judge issued a temporary pause on the implementation just two days later.
However, confusion remains.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made a post to X on Jan. 29, stating that rescinding the document was “NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze. It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo. Why? To end any confusion created by the court’s injunction. The President’s EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented.”
The unabridged impacts of the OMB memo and compliance with the EOs are still largely unknown, creating a time of uncertainty for faculty.
A Villanova faculty member, who requested anonymity, spoke with The Villanovan about the challenges faculty members face in securing research grants and continuing identity related scholarship.
The faculty member described the most challenging aspect as the chaos and uncertainty surrounding the situation.
“That is unprecedented,” they said. “You know, that kind of chaos incited with no clear plan, I hope is not an indication of our future governance. But it’s a clear indication that this was not a thoughtful situation.”
Federal grants are essential for research, student funding and reducing teaching loads. Many scholars now face terminated grants or delayed approvals as agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) scramble to comply with the EOs.
The uncertainty surrounding these grants has disrupted ongoing projects, forcing faculty to reconsider the viability of their research topics.
Minimal communication from federal agencies has made compliance difficult, especially given the vague language surrounding what qualifies as DEI or identity-based research.
“Even though many of the executive orders and messages from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) are unlawful and will be challenged through the courts, in the meantime, a lot of research professors are being left in limbo,” the faculty member said. “If I do race work, equity work, gender work, sexuality work, other identity work – do I pause my work? Do I continue the work? Do I continue the work under another name?”
Additionally, they shared their experience with the abrupt halt of a long-standing federal grant program supporting women in STEM. The NSF’s ADVANCE initiative, which has funded gender equity efforts for two decades, now faces an uncertain future.
“I had an event set up for weeks as part of an NSF grant,” they said. “I was invited to [a university] to give a talk in February, but because the grant involved advancing women—an identity-based group—their funding was paused. They told me, ‘Don’t come, it’s too much uncertainty,’ so we had to switch to a webinar.”
The sudden disruption has left many scrambling.
“They’re trying to find another funding source to pay me for the work that I’ve done,” the faculty member explained. “Shortly after, the whole program [that put on the event] they have instated at their institution was cut. This program that does wonderful work, in no way controversial, is now gone after 20 years.”
Looking ahead, some faculty have already adjusted their research proposals, while others debate whether to seek private funding or shift away from identity-based studies altogether. The long-term consequences of these policies remain uncertain.
The University has yet to issue definitive guidance on the executive actions, highlighting the disorganization these orders have brought to higher education.
On Wednesday, Sep. 19, University President Father Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D. sent a campus-wide email outlining the University’s next steps in complying with the federal guidelines. His message aimed to address the concerns that have been on the minds of many Villanovans.
“In the fullest sense of transparency, we will need to make some changes to comply with these orders, but I assure you that all community members will continue to have a place at Villanova,” Fr. Peter said.
The conversation was further framed by the faculty member’s reflection on the University’s core values.
“Our institution at Villanova, we’re so deeply connected to unitas, it’s one of our core principles as a community,” they continued. “And so, what unitas means to us is that we do consider identity in every part of life, if we are not considering things like gender, race or sexuality or religion or any of these other really important pieces of ourselves, then we are ignoring who we are. We see people as unique human beings with a multitude of identities that we want to respect.”
These executive orders have wide-ranging implications for the higher education sector. For many, the question is not just how to navigate the present but how to safeguard the future of academic inquiry.
