It’s the start of a new year and it is only natural to look ahead and imagine the recipe for success in 2025. I will be honest. When I started writing this article, it was early December, right before I was about to go off on leave. I was feeling optimistic about 2025 and what the year would bring. Will it be a year of business-as-usual growth, or will we make significant strides in equity, accessibility, and innovation? My optimism told me it would be a year of incremental change. I predicted that while we may not achieve all there is to achieve in 2025, even incremental progress in DEIA, JEDI principles, and sustainable publishing practices would lead to transformational change. Further, I pictured discussions around AI evolving and leading to the practical adoption of AI. I hoped for a year where marginalized voices would find their rightful space on global platforms and where diverse perspectives in academia would become a norm, not an exception.

Well, don’t blame me. My glass of optimism is usually full. But my glass is leaking now, or maybe it’s broken? The realities of the new political landscape have cast its shadow on the future of academia. The suspension of NIH’s operations and the recent policy shifts compelling universities to reevaluate their DEAI-based initiatives by jeopardizing their access to federal funding has not only threatened the autonomy of higher education, but also put decades of progress on the DEIA front at risk.

White House seen from far away through a chain link fence

Will higher education institutions lose their freedom entirely, becoming a puppet of political agendas? What can they do to sustain DEIA in their respective institutions without bowing down to political pressures? And will they do it?

This remains to be seen. But I would assume it would depend on the institutions’ dependence on federal funding. Is it time to diversify revenue streams and explore other funding opportunities, perhaps partnering more with private foundations, international organizations, and corporations that share the same DEAI ideologies? While such collaborations come with their own ethical dilemmas and potential conflicts of interest, the trade-offs need to be evaluated. The key is diversification—how can institutional autonomy not be compromised because of a single source of funding (no matter how large)?

What about alumni networks? Many of these institutions have alumni in senior positions. Can institutions rally their alumni to support and donate to their DEIA initiatives and act as advocates for this cause?

Maybe it’s too soon, but will we see universities coming together to form a coalition of sorts to collectively advocate for academic freedom and DEAI? Will unified voices carry more weight in public discourse and put pressure on policymakers to reconsider these decisions?

Additionally, these policy changes are already causing worry and panic. How can authors be better supported? Can institutions provide some kind of counseling or mental health support to those who are bearing the brunt of these policies? Can legal departments help institutions navigate these changes by helping them comply and yet stay as close as possible to their DEAI goals? I don’t know if it’s even possible, but I do hope that legal counsel will help.

Can institutions provide safe spaces for students, faculty, and researchers to vocalize their concerns and encourage dialogue?

While little can be done about the external environment, can institutions focus on what is within their reach to sustain some of these initiatives; for instance, can admissions and hiring processes be re-evaluated to find other ways to promote diversity? Maybe they can develop faculty training programs to embed inclusive practices within classrooms.

What can institutions do to communicate the importance of academic freedom and DEAI and how these policy changes affect not just academia but society as a whole?

How can we give voice to the stories of those who are affected by the change? Will it help to use media channels to share these stories and humanize the impact and garner public support?

I don’t know the answers. But there are so many questions and so much that we need to “wait and watch”. What I do know is that academia is resilient. It has weathered crises and emerged stronger and it will do so again. The question is how and when. Higher education institutions will need to adapt and stand true to their beliefs. The recipe for success in 2025 is more complex than I first imagined. Our challenge now is to ensure that we don’t lose ground on the progress we’ve made. Sustaining our focus on DEIA will be a victory in itself.

Roohi Ghosh

Roohi Ghosh

Roohi Ghosh is the ambassador for researcher success at Cactus Communications (CACTUS). She is passionate about advocating for researchers and amplifying their voices on a global stage.

Discussion

4 Thoughts on "Weathering the Storm: What Will 2025 Bring for Academia?"

I think they should reach out to like minded organisations like the Library Association etc as they could also be under threat.

An important debate to be had. America is one the academic leaders and cannot have its academic freedom damaged by one person’s dogma.

This is the time for institutions to reinvent themselves and think outside the box. Thank you Roohi Ghosh for bringing this to the fore

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