PEN America has convened a group of 100-plus former college presidents to push back on threats to academic freedom as higher education remains a frequent target for politicians. Caught in the crossfire of a culture war, sitting college presidents are often reluctant to speak out on legislative proposals that threaten tenure, academic freedom and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on their campuses. Now a new initiative from the free expression group PEN America is offering them reinforcements in the form of former college leaders willing to take a stand on threats to such campus issues.