The conservative assault on higher education has upped the threat environment for college professors. And this crisis is clear in the South, where efforts to indoctrinate students with a right-wing worldview have arguably been fiercest.
That’s a key takeaway from the 2026 Faculty in the South Survey by the American Association of University Professors, which shows a rise in the number of college instructors who fear for their safety and livelihoods. Conservatives like President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have framed universities and people employed by them as “the enemy,” and the administration has undertaken a nationwide effort to control school curricula and influence the racial composition of student bodies. Several states, particularly those under Republican control in the South, have followed the administration’s lead by launching bigoted academic crusades of their own.
And data suggests educators are paying the price.
As the Louisiana Illuminator reported:
A survey of higher education faculty in the South found professors are concerned about the political environment around higher education, with some fearing for their physical safety. The annual survey from the American Association of University Professors included an open-ended question that allowed faculty to detail the problems they’re facing. Compared with previous years, there was a significant spike in faculty scared not only for their careers but also for their physical safety. “I teach a subject that is now considered ‘controversial,’” a professor in North Carolina wrote. “As a result, I have had a non-student with a gun enter my classroom to intimidate me. I have received an email death threat from a student.”
The survey polled educators from schools in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Professor Matthew Boedy, the AAUP president in Georgia, broke down the data for the national organization’s Academe blog. As he explained, a majority of professors polled said they wouldn’t recommend their state to other potential educators:
Overall findings from the survey indicate about 60 percent (59.4) of respondents would not recommend their state as a desirable place to work for colleagues or graduate students. This is a 5 percent rise compared to the previous year. Almost 20 percent (19.1) said they do not plan to stay in academia long term, a slight increase from previous year.
Boedy’s breakdown also spotlighted the reasons for this rise in disillusionment among educators:
There were three major reasons the majority of respondents noted: their state’s broad political climate (63 percent), academic freedom (61.3 percent), and salary (50.9 percent). More respondents noted political climate and academic freedom than last year (56.6 and 45.4 respectively in 2025). Issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and shared governance again rounded out the top five.
Remember years ago, when Donald Trump proclaimed his love for “the poorly educated”? The comment underscored how facts are inconvenient obstacles for Trump’s MAGA movement, whose leaders have attacked anti-disinformation efforts and relied on bigotry and propaganda to spread their message.
There’s no mystery as to why the MAGA administration has demonized teachers who don’t align with its worldview. After all, they are the people perhaps best equipped to dispel its manipulative lies.
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