‘I am Ashamed’: West Point Professor Resigns in Defiance
John Baker (5 19 25)
United States Military Academy at West Point philosophy professor Graham Parsons has resigned after 13 years, citing significant changes in the academy’s educational principles. He no longer aligns himself with the institution, claiming it has strayed from its foundational values and limits academic freedom. Parsons expressed concern regarding recent policies that have altered the curriculum by eliminating courses and modifying syllabi to fit specific ideological viewpoints.
Parson claimed the changes have made it impossible for him to fulfill his responsibilities as an educator, leading to his decision to resign at the end of the semester. He said, “I cannot tolerate these changes, which prevent me from doing my job responsibly. I am ashamed to be associated with the academy in its current form.”
Parsons added, “In a matter of days, the United States Military Academy at West Point abandoned its core principles. Once a school that strove to give cadets the broad-based, critical-minded, nonpartisan education they need for careers as Army officers, it was suddenly eliminating courses, modifying syllabuses, and censoring arguments to comport with the ideological tastes of the Trump administration.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to Parsons’ departure online. Hegseth supported the administration’s educational reforms and efforts to eliminate programs that he believes do not contribute to military readiness.
Hegseth wrote, “You will not be missed, Professor Parsons.”
Parsons noted that his difficulties at West Point began shortly after President Donald Trump took office. He alleges that officials pressured him to retract an article he wrote for the national security blog Lawfare.
Parson also criticized abandoning the academy’s core principles, which he viewed as a decline in the quality of education and the integrity of faculty research. Parsons said, “If the president orders the military to take actions that jeopardize its neutrality, the military is ethically justified in criticizing and even resisting that order, even if it is not illegal.”
Parsons added, “Political neutrality exists to solve a second problem as well — ensuring that the military is subordinate to legitimate democratic authority, not to, say, a tyrant.”
John Baker covers U.S. politics & news for content partner Modern Newsstand LLC.
