by Tor W Andreassen
Dear SERVSIG Community,
As researchers dedicated to advancing service scholarship, we thrive on the free exchange of ideas, rigorous inquiry, and the pursuit of knowledge that drives innovation and societal progress. Yet, today, we face an unprecedented threat to the very foundation of our work: academic freedom.
The Trump administration’s aggressive interventions in higher education, particularly targeting elite universities, jeopardize the principles that underpin our research and teaching.
This critical note examines these attacks, drawing on recent analyses from New York Times, Wall Street Journaland The Economist (April 12, 2025), and urges our community to recognize the stakes for service research, higher education, and democratic society.
The Economist highlights a disturbing shift in the global landscape of freedom. While Europe, despite its regulatory challenges, emerges as a bastion of liberty—free from the influence of unchecked tech moguls and political Rasputins—America is sliding in the opposite direction (The thing about Europe: it’s the actual land of the free now). The absence of European-style “broligarchs” meddling in politics contrasts sharply with the U.S., where the Trump administration is wielding federal power to reshape institutions, including universities, to align with its ideological agenda. This contrast underscores a grim reality: academic freedom, once a hallmark of American higher education, is under siege.
The Trump administration’s campaign against universities is both strategic and punitive. As reported in The Economist (Donald Trump is battling America’s elite universities—and winning), the administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funds for Harvard University on April 14, 2025, after the institution resisted policy changes demanded by the government. This financial coercion is not an isolated act but part of a broader MAGA-driven “counter-revolution” to remake the Ivy League and, by extension, higher education nationwide (MAGA’s remaking of universities could have dire consequences). Universities, long seen as incubators of critical thought and cultural elites, are now targets for ideological conformity. The administration’s tactics—ranging from funding cuts to threats of legal action—aim to silence dissent and curb the autonomy of academic institutions.
For service researchers, this assault on academic freedom has profound implications. Our field relies on open inquiry to explore complex issues like customer behavior, service innovation, and societal impact. When universities face pressure to align with political agendas, the ability to conduct unbiased research is compromised. Studies challenging corporate or governmental practices—such as those examining service failures in public sectors or ethical lapses in marketing—could be stifled. The MAGA plan risks creating a chilling effect, where researchers self-censor to avoid institutional or personal repercussions. This threatens not only our scholarship but also the integrity of the knowledge we produce for practitioners and policymakers.
Moreover, the administration’s actions undermine the innovation ecosystem that service research supports.Remaking universities could have terrible consequences for higher education, for innovation, for economic growth, and even for what sort of country America is.
Universities are hubs for service innovation, fostering advancements in technology, healthcare, and customer experience. By starving institutions of funds and autonomy, the administration risks dismantling the infrastructure that drives economic and social progress. For SERVSIG members, whose work often bridges academia and industry, this could mean fewer opportunities to translate research into practice, stifling the service economy’s growth.
The global context amplifies these concerns. As Europe maintains a regulatory environment that, while imperfect, avoids the chaos of unchecked power, the U.S. risks ceding its leadership in higher education and innovation. Service researchers must consider how this shift could redirect talent and resources abroad, where academic freedom is better protected. Our ability to collaborate internationally, a cornerstone of SERVSIG’s mission, may be hampered if American universities lose their global standing.
What can we do? First, we must advocate for academic freedom within our institutions and the AMA. This includes supporting policies that protect research autonomy and resisting pressures to align with political ideologies. Second, we should amplify our voices through scholarship, using our platforms to highlight the societal value of free inquiry in service research. Finally, we must engage with policymakers and industry partners to underscore the economic and social costs of undermining higher education.
The Trump administration’s attacks on academic freedom are not just a threat to universities—they are a threat to the future of service research and the democratic principles we cherish. Let us, as SERVSIG members, stand united in defending the right to question, explore, and innovate without fear. Our work, and the society it serves, depends on it.
Sincerely,
Tor W Andreassen,PhD
Tor W. Andreassen Professor of Innovation at NHH Norwegian School of Economics Director for the research center Digital Innovation for sustainable Growth
