Have you watched any Big Ten football this season? If so, you must have noticed that the conference launched a new ad campaign titled “We Are Here,” a series of 30-second spots during college football and other sporting events to highlight how its 18 member universities contribute to America by advancing medical treatments, developing healthier foods, driving economic growth, and supporting over 817,000 students while conducting nearly $19.6 billion in research annually.
University presidents and the conference commissioner have framed the ad as a pushback against erosion in scientific support: a reminder that federal investment in higher education yields tangible benefits in health, safety, and prosperity.
The Trump administration, through Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and broader budget policies, is moving to slash federal funding across scientific agencies, including:
- A 44% cut to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding,
- A 40% reduction in National Institutes of Health’s budget, and
- A 55% drop in National Science Foundation support.
As part of a sweeping reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services, agencies such as the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, and the NIH are facing workforce reductions. About 20,000 jobs are slated for elimination or consolidation under a newly proposed “Administration for a Healthy America.”
RFK Jr has also overseen sweeping cuts in key areas such as vaccine development, especially in mRNA research, prompting warnings that this retreat could undercut US preparedness for future health crises.
Scientists have pushed back, producing open letters (like the “Bethesda Declaration”) criticizing the continued cancellation of millions in grants, disruptions to clinical trials, and overall disregard for scientific independence.
So the Big Ten ad campaign isn’t just a marketing effort; it’s a public defense of university-driven research at a moment when cuts and centralization threaten the future of scientific discovery and public health.
It underscores the return on federal funding — from medical breakthroughs to food innovation and economic opportunity — effectively saying: “We’re here, doing the work that society needs.”
This sets up a meaningful contrast: universities affirming their mission to serve the public good, while the administration’s policies raise questions about its long-term commitment to scientific progress.
