成人直播鈥檚 President鈥檚 Forum asks: 鈥楢re Colleges and Universities Too Liberal?鈥
Four national thought leaders explored the ideological imbalance in higher education today 鈥 and whether it's a problem
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Since the 成人直播鈥檚 President's Forum began seven years ago, the biannual event has celebrated the University's commitment to ideological diversity and a free, respectful exchange of ideas on controversial issues. That goal has never been more important than it is in the current era of polarization and politicization, noted President James Herbert at the ninth installment of the event on Feb. 13.
In a virtual roundtable discussion four nationally recognized academic thought leaders considered the ideological imbalance in higher education today on America鈥檚 college campuses as they debated the question: Are colleges and universities too liberal today?
鈥淭onight, we will look inward and turn the Forum鈥檚 lens on higher education itself,鈥 Herbert said.
The President Forum鈥檚 series features moderated panel discussions and debates as a way to champion the University鈥檚 Marketplace of Ideas initiative. The event, held each semester since 2018, promotes a welcoming, ideologically diverse environment where respectful argumentation is encouraged to help students consider and find solutions for contentious issues during troubled times.
Citing a recent poll that showed only 36% of Americans have strong confidence in higher education (a sharp drop from 57% in 2015), Herbert opened the forum by stating frankly what鈥檚 at stake: Americans鈥 growing skepticism in the value of a college degree.
鈥淭his is a great loss,鈥 Herbert said. 鈥淔or generations, Americans generally agreed 鈥 regardless of political affiliation 鈥 that our colleges and universities provided graduates with pathways to fulfilling, successful lives, while returning corollary benefits to society as a whole, such as scientific research, community involvement, and civic engagement. They were confident that our nation鈥檚 institutions of higher education were beneficial to society 鈥 that they elevated the quality of lives of both educated individuals and of society as a whole.
鈥淪adly, this is no longer the case.鈥
Herbert noted that both those on the far right and far left of the nation鈥檚 political spectrum are to blame for the politicization in higher education today and the decline in public confidence in the academy. He welcomed the four experts to help explain why 鈥 and what, if anything, can be done to reverse this dangerous trend that has resulted in higher education becoming 鈥渏ust another battleground in our hyper-polarized times.鈥
鈥淎s educators, it is incumbent on us to restore public trust in our institutions of higher learning,鈥 Herbert said.
The panelists agreed there is an ideological imbalance in higher education today that has led to the erosion of public trust. Most agreed that in the pursuit of truth, educators need to stem efforts to promote illiberalism, whether those efforts come from the far right or the far left. But some said the public鈥檚 declining trust in higher education might not be as much of a problem as it鈥檚 portrayed to be 鈥 or one that is unsolvable.
Samuel J. Abrams, the professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College in New York and a senior at the American Enterprise Institute, said, yes, the academy鈥檚 ideology is lopsided, but that鈥檚 not necessarily a problem when it comes to the learning that takes place in the classroom.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a problem for research. I'd like to see some more ideological and political diversity, but it doesn't have to be a huge problem in the classroom,鈥 Abrams said. 鈥淢ost professors who are quite good, quite intelligent, quite passionate and love teaching and want to do best for their students 鈥 they're not all that interested in political indoctrination. That's what I think it really looks like across our higher ed space.鈥
Abrams suggested there be more efforts to assure faculty who are 鈥渞ight of center,鈥 like himself, are represented, because diversity leads to disagreement, even contentious debate 鈥 and that鈥檚 always a good thing.
鈥淓ducation should be uncomfortable, but it often isn't. (When it is), I think it creates a healthier, more vibrant educational sphere. There's no question in my mind,鈥 Abrams said.
Emma Camp, the associate editor at Reason magazine and a recent graduate of the University of Virginia, said when you have ideological conformity on college campuses, it creates a constrained, more self-censorship-heavy environment, which is not good.
She called for universities to become 鈥減laces where young people can open their minds, where they can hear new arguments鈥 and not fear censorship or the threat of punishment for controversial speech. They need to get rid of speech codes, Camp said.
鈥淚 come at this from a very First-Amendment -absolutist perspective. And so, my kind of overarching concern is for academic freedom and free expression,鈥 Camp said.
Brandon Jett, a history professor from Florida 鈥 in what he called 鈥渁 very conservative area in a very conservative state鈥 鈥 recommended colleges today employ more tenure track faculty to ensure greater ideological diversity on campuses.
鈥淚 think if you break it down and ask people individualized questions about individualized policies, you would find that there was a wide range of opinions on a wide range of topics. And so, I'd just like to remind us of that. I think now we're kind of forced to choose a side in ways that are very, very problematic and don't really represent the diversity of individuals who have diverse opinions on a lot of different things,鈥 Jett said.
Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities and former president of Mount Holyoke College, ended the conversation by suggesting one simple solution: Universities do more for the communities where they are located to demonstrate 鈥渢hat our success is inextricably linked to the psychological, social, educational, health, economic wellbeing of those in the communities.鈥
鈥淲e have for far too long existed in an ivory tower as a willful disconnect from the practical matters of everyday life,鈥 Pasquerella said. 鈥淲e need to be visible to people who are the most skeptical about why we matter.鈥