Education Department warns universities of 'foreign threats' in new bulletin alert
As a new academic year begins, the federal government is warning American universities about the danger posed by powerful foreign adversaries.
Universities across the country are starting the new academic year under fresh warnings from the federal government: foreign adversaries are exploiting higher education, and schools must do more to defend themselves.
On August 25, the Department of Education and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a joint bulletin, Safeguarding Academia, outlining the growing risks of foreign infiltration on campus. The document highlights how hostile regimes exploit the open nature of U.S. higher education to steal taxpayer-funded research, recruit academics into overseas “talent programs,” launch cyber intrusions, and intimidate students who speak out against authoritarian governments.
According to the bulletin, hostile regimes use methods such as cyber intrusions, talent poaching, covert recruitment, and undisclosed research collaborations to siphon American innovation.
The report singles out the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as the “most active, and persistent espionage threat” to American universities, warning that Beijing aggressively seeks breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, hypersonic technology, and biotechnology. Other examples include recruitment efforts disguised as talent programs, which have lured U.S. professors and students into transferring intellectual property abroad.
One case highlighted how China’s Ministry of Public Security misused genetic data provided by U.S. researchers to surveil the Uyghur population, sparking global human rights concerns. The bulletin says the data was used by the CCP to “identify and track” dissidents within China.
The threat extends beyond intellectual property. The bulletin also warns that foreign regimes have harassed students on U.S. campuses who speak out against their governments. In one 2024 case in Boston, a Chinese student allegedly threatened a classmate for supporting pro-democracy activism in China.
To counter these dangers, the government is urging schools to tighten disclosure rules, improve cybersecurity defenses, train staff and students to recognize red flags, and report suspicious activity to law enforcement. Universities that ignore these steps and unwittingly assist in research theft risk federal investigations and potential penalties.
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The Education Department has already launched investigations under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act into Harvard University, UC Berkeley, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pennsylvania for failing to properly disclose foreign funding.
With the fall semester underway, the federal government is signaling that higher education can no longer afford to downplay the risks of foreign infiltration.
For colleges dependent on taxpayer dollars, the warning is clear: protect your research, or face consequences.
