A longtime West Point professor resigned Thursday over what he called an ideological shift in the academy’s curriculum, prompting a sharp rebuke from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Philosophy professor Graham Parsons, who spent 13 years teaching at the United States Military Academy, announced his resignation in a New York Times op-ed. He said the institution has strayed from its mission of providing cadets with a broad, nonpartisan education.
“I cannot tolerate these changes, which prevent me from doing my job responsibly,” Parsons wrote. “I am ashamed to be associated with the academy in its current form.”
He blamed the Trump administration for the shift, accusing it of driving “a sweeping assault on the school’s curriculum” through executive orders and internal memos that limit what faculty can teach at military schools. Parsons claimed West Point had rapidly begun eliminating courses, changing syllabuses, and censoring content to align with political agendas.
In response, Defense Secretary Hegseth took to social media with a blunt dismissal. “You will not be missed Professor Parsons,” he wrote.
Parsons argued that the school’s transformation happened “in a matter of days” and described it as a direct consequence of recent Trump-era directives targeting academic content at military institutions.
Following the op-ed and announcement, Parsons’ faculty profile page on the West Point website was removed.