This discussion centers on how academic institutions, including universities, museums, and public organizations, can work together to respond to increasing threats to academic freedom, which are becoming more widespread globally. As anti-intellectualism rises, research- and education- focused institutions face escalating pressures through attacks on funding, accreditation, research resources, and nonprofit status. The conversation explores how scholars, particularly in fields like ethnomusicology, can collaborate across organizations and disciplines to protect intellectual freedom, and how institutions can learn from each other’s strengths and vulnerabilities in the face of these challenges. What is the role of SEM in a moment like the present? How can SEM members internationally work together to bolster intellectual freedom, and explore strategies for collaboration and mutual support, rather than competing for increasingly limited resources? What creative ways can we use to speak to public audiences directly? We invite panelists and participants to think expansively about preserving access to higher education, and the protection of public trust in research, even amid financial and political pressures.