'Knowledge for the Public Good': SUNY’s Two System-Wide Governance Bodies Endorse America’s Compact for Higher Education

Faculty groups sign onto Compact defending academic freedom & reaffirming purpose and benefit of knowledge and higher education in the U.S.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, Stand Up for Science announced that the SUNY University Faculty Senate and the SUNY Faculty Council of Community Colleges, the system-wide governance bodies for the State University of New York’s 64 schools, have both signed on as endorsers of America's Compact For Higher Education.

Stand Up for Science published “America's Compact” in September 2026 as an alternative to the Department of Education's Compact 2.0. America’s Compact outlines of a set of basic agreements around the value and public good of absolute academic freedom, knowledge, safety, and trust at U.S. universities and colleges.

“We urge all higher education governance bodies and unions to join us in endorsing America’s Compact for Higher Education. Higher education strengthens individuals, families, communities, the economy, civil society, and our democracy,” said Bruce Simon, President of the SUNY University Faculty Senate, which represents over 40,000 faculty and non-managerial professional staff.

“When we stand together for higher education—for the unbought and unbossed pursuit of knowledge, truth, and wisdom for the public good; for the freedom to teach and learn; for what academic freedom, peer review, and shared governance contribute to democratic competence and expertise—we all win,” he added.

“Academic freedom is not simply a faculty right; it is a public good. It protects our ability to ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions, pursue truth, and prepare students to think critically and independently. These freedoms are essential not only to higher education, but to a healthy democracy,” said Candice Vacin, President of the SUNY Faculty Council of Community Colleges. She continued:

“The SUNY Faculty Council of Community Colleges, representing faculty across SUNY's 30 community colleges, endorsed America’s Compact for Higher Education because we believe protecting the independence of our colleges and universities is inseparable from protecting the communities they serve. We call on institutions and higher education governance bodies across the country to join us. We do not have to agree on every answer, but we must stand together to protect the freedom to ask the questions.”

Stand Up for Science drafted “America's Compact For Higher Education” in partnership with academic leaders and Nobel Laureates, in response to the Department of Education’s continued attempts to install more ideological control at U.S. universities. America’s Compact lays out the agreed terms and conditions for academic freedom and independence across all the colleges and universities in the U.S. Stand Up for Science has also invited the public to read the Compact and use the embedded tool to send it to their university leaders, urging them to endorse it.

“This Compact opens the door for universities to respond to this administration’s actions towards higher education. America’s Compact is not about ideology— it’s a basic agreement for safety, public trust, academic freedom and the value of knowledge,” said Dr. Colette Delawalla, Founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science, during an online rally for the Compact earlier in October.

SUNY University Faculty Senate and the SUNY Faculty Council of Community Colleges join other endorsers of the Compact, including the American Association of Colleges & Universities, the American Association of University Professors, the Alliance for Higher Education, American Federation of Teachers, and more.

Delawalla is available for comment.

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Stand Up for Science is a grassroots, Washington, D.C. based, non-profit organization mobilizing the fight for science and democracy. Stand Up for Science was formed in February 2025 in response to actions affecting federal science agencies and funding of the American scientific ecosystem. On March 7th, Stand Up for Science mobilized over 50,000 people at 170+ events across the world on its first National Day of Action. Federal scientists across multiple agencies (NIH, EPA, NASA, FEMA) have chosen Stand Up for Science as the platform to publish their open letters of concern. Stand Up for Science is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization [EIN: 33-4154429] and donations are not tax-deductible.

Char Bowling
Stand Up for Science
media@standupforscience.net