The American Association of University Professors has denounced what it calls an extortion campaign targeting university autonomy, shared governance, and academic freedom. AAUP President Todd Wolfson said the federal government has used threats to withhold research funding not to enforce civil-rights compliance, but to demand sweeping institutional changes. AAUP’s new report, “Extorted Compliance,” points to pressure on Columbia University and a proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” It argues the governance demands extend beyond compliance into areas such as hiring, curriculum, and campus policy. AAUP leaders described a governance model where autonomy becomes conditional on political alignment, warning that the academic mission and the institutional checks and balances embedded in shared governance could be undermined. For campus leaders, the case is an escalation of governance risk. The immediate work is to track any federal conditions attached to funding streams, strengthen faculty–administration communication on governance boundaries, and document decision-making processes to preserve academic integrity.