By now, many of us are familiar with the image of three college presidents circa 2025, fidgeting in their seats in front of a congressional committee, tongue-tied, legalistic, and seemingly unable to definitively condemn antisemitism on campus. It wasn't a good look and certainly supported the notion that our institutions of higher learning were unable to weigh in on some fairly basic notions of academic freedom and personal safety.
In addition to that horror show, a recent Yale University report points out a number of legitimate attacks, including the high cost of an education, seemingly opaque admissions practices, the questionable value proposition college degrees present, and lingering public distrust.
Public distrust would seem not unfounded with reports of rogue professors using their classrooms as places of political indoctrination, academic standards being abandoned, and class offerings that call into question the very nonpartisan inquiry and search for truth that are underpinnings of the ideals of a university education. These are legitimate inquiries and opportunities for self-reflection.
While the federal government has every right to highlight perceived failings of universities, and even to demand changes, the primary tool being utilized is cutting back federal research dollars. This can be seen, as reported by The New York Times, in National Science Foundation grants for some “target” universities being held up by the White House. While this might be seen by some as appropriate incentive to change, it instead is conflating two different issues, And in reducing funding, one must question whether the punishment ultimately will be felt more by the targeted universities or our nation more generally.
These are hard times for universities and hard times for university presidents.
If the Yale report tells us anything, it’s that faculties and universities increasingly are listening to the critiques of their institutions. Universities seem more receptive to changes reflective of the concerns expressed and the challenges they face. Indeed, recently, Harvard University has established standards in its grading system and several universities now are proctoring exams to reduce cheating. At many universities, dmissions practices have become more transparent, viewpoint diversity is being addressed, and rules of engagement for free speech and student protest have been more clearly delineated.
I moderated a discussion between the new president of USC and the new chancellor of UCLA, and both men were quite candid about the challenges facing higher education, highlighting efforts being made by each institution. They also reflected upon the important roles higher education plays in our society, our quality of life, our health, our civility, America’s competitive advantages, and all to which we aspire. Each of these institutions has made meaningful strides in evolving to reflect the times. If these two gentlemen are representative of the broader cohort of college presidents, then these venerable institutions, and what they mean for our nation, are in good hands.
The case for college
With the cost of a college education skyrocketing — some estimates suggest the cost is 4x the rate of inflation over the past 30 years — many Americans have begun to question the efficacy of a college education. There are a number of metrics that provide some of these answers, including the increased earning potential over a lifetime. But there are other tools and skills nurtured by a good education —including the ability to evaluate arguments, understand data, and critically think. In addition, through the study of history, literature, sociology, and other humanities and social sciences, students gain perspectives and develop empathy passed down through the ages and learned from other cultures. All of this creates better citizens and better humans, more able to live a productive life.
Colleges also are one of the few places in our country when our citizens are thrown together in an environment where they can interact with diverse views and lived experiences. Students come from all around the country, from different ethnic and religious traditions, and with varying political perspectives. Add to this the cultural benefits of sharing this experience with foreign students, and one quickly can see how this “melting pot of ideas and people” can yield better citizens and can foster greater civic cohesion.
The American research and development machine
A signal accomplishment of the U.S. government in the post-war era was the decision to entrust much of our national research to our major research universities. The American engine of innovation and technological advancement since World War II has been nothing short of remarkable — largely the product of this partnership of government and industry with higher education. Our universities are the envy of the world and have done so much to benefit humankind on so many fronts. The medical and technological breakthroughs we take for granted are the product, directly or indirectly, of scientists at research universities. Beyond that, our culture's understanding of economics, sociology, psychology, and systems of government is the product of scholars at our universities. And there are, of course, experts in all aspects of humanity — from literature to history to music and the fine arts — working at our universities.
Universities also provide some of the more practical things that affect us in our day-to-day lives: The training of our physicians, attorneys, accountants, architects, engineers, physical and occupational therapists, and other professionals, as well as the provision of public health services and private hospitals, fall within the rubric of the modern university.
While some fields of study have less obvious immediate economic benefits than others, all fields of study provide us with context and perspective. I derive great comfort in knowing that mankind’s history and accomplishments, and the lessons behind them, are being preserved and studied by scholars, whose insights are being passed on from generation to generation.
Universities as good citizens and laboratories for social change
There's another, less tangible, but just as important, role a university often plays. Both presidents at the panel I moderated spoke of the need for universities to serve their communities, bringing together the vast bank of knowledge they possess but also the analytic skills of its many professors, to address issues of importance to their communities, our nation, and the world. I saw this firsthand when witnessing how professors from both UCLA and USC helped define the problems, measure the impacts, and propose solutions when the Los Angeles fires hit last January. Many of the “wicked problems” our communities face are being tackled by scholars, who reach out from the ivory towers of academia to provide data and ideas that are put to practical use.
Part of the attack against universities is an attack against a locus of intellectual firepower, expertise, and influence. History is replete with examples of when dictators sought to disparage institutions of higher learning because those institutions possessed the capacity to point a mirror to society and highlight its flaws and challenges. Universities can impose rigorous analysis of data and policies that can better inform decisions. Often, this type of critical analysis is threatening to those wielding political power. The war against universities is just one front of the war against experts and the intellectual elite. But rather than fearing experts, we should welcome their involvement in our civic and political lives. After all, most of mankind’s advancements in medicine, science, technology, and the humanities are the product of experts in their fields and not of politicians trying to restrict or dictate that work.
That said, as with any other institutions, colleges can do a better at performing their functions more efficiently and fairly, and certainly can do a better job at articulating to the public what they do and why it’s so important. Questions of cost, a perception by some of a lack of intellectual diversity, issues of college admissions and what constitutes merit, and the declining trust in our universities present legitimate challenges that need to be faced. But to starve universities of funding for essential research under the guise of bringing about affordability and efficiency hardly is the way to go about reform. Strangling budgets for services and research that are for the public good is like trying to win a war by bombing an adjacent country to the adversary. Another way of thinking about it is that we may be performing major abdominal surgery on the patient, when the problem is merely a torn knee ligament. In the end, the battle being waged to bring about change in our universities is, in large measure, only hurting ourselves, while not addressing the underlying issues.
What I came away with from the conversation with these leaders of major universities was an even greater appreciation of what these institutions mean, not just to our region or our nation, but to the world and our civilization. While they can always do better, they are worthy of our support and, indeed, our admiration.
The toughest jobs around
I've had the good fortune in my travels to know more than my fair share of university presidents. It’s a tough job, particularly for a president of a major research institution. The job goes well beyond supporting the dual missions of education and research. In some ways, it's among the toughest jobs in America. Some liken the job to managing a large corporation, but with a university there are many more constituencies. Imagine for a moment:
- Universities often are among the most significant employers and highly complex institutions in their regions, with budgets in the hundreds of millions and, sometimes, billions of dollars. Many large universities manage sizable health enterprises, with multiple hospitals, clinics, and urgent care centers, serving anyone who walks in the door, all while dealing with the byzantine rules, regulations, and payor systems that the American healthcare system imposes.
- Many universities include what has become multiple major sports franchises, with complex rules and regulations.
- Presidents have the responsibility to raise hundreds of millions of dollars, simply for their institutions to break even. Notwithstanding a common perception that university research has high overhead recovery rates from the government, research often is a loss leader, requiring more fundraising in order to keep it afloat.
- Universities have alumni networks that love the university but all have advice that they are only too ready to share.
- There is heightened public distrust of institutions that often contributes to an uphill public relations battle.
- Students’ right to protest must be preserved, while the rights of other students not to be impeded by those protests must be ensured. These conflicting notions both are on the side of freedom of speech. To protect one without balancing the other only ensures that speech is being weighed by the powers that be, in order to determine what is acceptable. I am encouraged by campus efforts to further open dialog in forums of respectful scholars, rather than loud inflammatory speech that often ensures further conflict.
- A college must fight against vested political interests from all sides, trying to provide each a platform to speak and be respected, while not being perceived to favor one side or another.
An apocryphal observation by a university president was that “Many people have opinions about how to run a university because, after all, they went to college. But I can tell you that I have flown in any jet aircraft, but I am not competent to fly a plane.”
The administration isn't wrong to point out areas where universities should engage in self-examination and reform. Many already are making inroads to address common complaints and to reform themselves to be as competitive and relevant in the future as they have been in the past. Just as important, as much as we need our universities, we need people with the drive, stamina, dedication, patience, and vision to manage these complex, yet essential, institutions, which perform multiple critical roles to their communities, our nation, and our civilization. They're the engines of American innovation and know-how and deserve our respect, our support and, when appropriate, our constructive criticism.
