A Message to the SAPAAC Community:

Stand United, Rise Together

Dear SAPAAC Community,

We’re reaching out with an urgent update on recent developments affecting higher education—and specifically, Stanford—under the current Trump administration. Federal policies and funding decisions are already impacting our University and Asian American communities in particular. This special edition aims to keep you informed and offer four clear ways to 📣Take Action below.

What’s Happening: Threats to Academic Independence & University Funding

Over the past week, we’ve seen Harvard take a public stand against federal overreach, rejecting proposed conditions that would undermine its academic independence. In March, Columbia agreed to various government demands, including ceding control of their department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies to academic receivership. Columbia has since updated its response, also defending its institutional autonomy.

Stanford has not been immune to pressures threatened by the White House and other government bodies. Last month, the the House Select Committee on China sent a letter to Stanford and five other universities requesting detailed information about their Chinese national students enrolled in advanced STEM programs. Diverse alumni groups—including SAPAAC—are working together to monitor developments and ensure the University upholds its values of inclusion, academic freedom, and support for all communities.

Your voice as an alum matters. Stanford’s leadership consistently emphasizes the importance of alumni engagement—and right now, collective advocacy is more essential than ever.

NIH Funding Cuts to Stanford: $160 Million at Risk

In February, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a 15% blanket freeze on “facilities and administrative” (F&A) funding for all universities. For Stanford, this equates to a $160 million annual loss, affecting research infrastructure and administrative support. Some researchers are already reporting delays and disruptions to their work.

These cuts represent a direct threat to the University’s ability to conduct groundbreaking research and maintain its academic excellence and worldwide innovation.

Hiring Freeze Impacts AAPI Community Support at Stanford

The Asian American Activities Center (A3C) plays a vital role in supporting Stanford’s largest racial/ethnic undergraduate group. Over 30,000 AAPI alumni look to A3C as a key hub for community and leadership development.

• In February, Stanford posted a job opening for an Associate Director at A3C.
• Weeks later, following the NIH funding news, the University announced a hiring freeze. Initially, A3C was told the search would continue.
• Despite direct reassurances from President Levin, Provost Martinez, VP for Alumni Affairs Howard Wolf, and SAA leaders who stressed that A3C programs are not under threat, we learned through the A3C Advisory Board that the Associate Director search has now been paused by Vice Provost Michele Rasmussen as of March 2025.

In response, many in our community have signed a letter urging the administration to reaffirm its commitment to A3C by using its discretion to proceed with the hire.

📣Take Action 

• Add your name to the letter of support for A3C: Sign the letter.
• Send your own email to the University voicing your support for continuing the search for the A3C Associate Director. A template and list of email addresses to send to is available here.

Stanford Supports Harvard’s Stand for Academic Freedom

In response to Harvard’s principled rejection of federal interference, Stanford’s leadership—including President Levin and Provost Martinez—issued a public statement supporting their stand for academic freedom. Thousands of higher education colleges and universities across the US are being threatened with the loss of billions of federal funding if they do not acquiesce to increasingly onerous demands.

This is a powerful step. Alumni support can help ensure the university continues to protect these values, especially amid broader political pressures. Harvard made their choice partly because of massive alumni messaging to leadership, even at the cost of over $2 billion in frozen federal funding over the next few years.

📣 Take Action 

• Send your own email of support to Stanford’s leadership and encourage them to stand strong. A template and list of email addresses to send to is available here.
• Sign on this open letter to the University, which has already been endorsed by 1,500 faculty, alumni, and students. 

Why This Matters

Stanford’s ability to attract world-class researchers, foster a diverse and inclusive environment, and remain a beacon of academic freedom is under attack. As alumni, we have influence—our collective support can reinforce Stanford’s commitment to these core values.

Let’s stand united. Let’s rise together in action.

In solidarity,

The SAPAAC Board

GET INVOLVED! Do you want to have an impact on AAPI alumni? Work with any of our three working committees, which focus on organizing events, advocating for Asian American issues within the University, and growing our membership. Our next committee meetings will be held in May.

Events

Chair: Andrew Jabara, ‘18, [email protected] 

West Coast Leader: Jin Park, ‘91, [email protected] 

East Coast Leader: Josephine Lau, ‘06, [email protected] 

Advocacy & Education Committee

Chair: Takeo Rivera, ‘08, [email protected]

Membership Committee 

Chair: Kuldip Ambastha, ‘04, [email protected] 

Other questions for SAPAAC? Email us at [email protected]  

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To change your subscription for future mailings, please log into your alumni account at groups.stanford.edu. For all other inquiries, contact us at [email protected].