Penna Dexter

What should American universities do to get their good reputations back?

Surveys show Americans are losing confidence in higher education. The late Charlie Kirk famously recommended against going to college. Gallup polling done last year found only 42 percent of Americans expressing “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Confidence has fallen especially hard among conservatives, many of whom believe universities give priority to social justice over the pursuit of knowledge.”

The Journal published an article on the findings of an internal study done at Yale University that calls “for changes to address everything from perceived political bias among faculty, to opaque admission standards and crushing student debt.”

The Journal points to the report’s finding that across top schools within Yale, “registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 36 to one.” The report recommends that the university scrutinize the diversity of perspectives offered in curricula, hiring, and admissions.

The rancor that’s rising in our culture is due, in part, to radical indoctrination at our universities and our schools’ failure to teach America’s founding principles. The committee that produced the Yale report recommends that the school require civics education for all first-year freshmen.

Yale is not alone among universities in being seen as “an intellectual echo chamber.“

Pursuant to a state law passed in the last legislative session, large universities in Texas will be implementing dramatic changes along these lines over the next five years.

Texas Tech and Texas A&M are also emphasizing “high ROI degrees” and closing out low-value “studies” degrees.

They are eliminating faculty senates, a form of shared governance that began in the 1950’s and that has been instrumental in encouraging radical student activism. University presidents will play a lead role in directing civil literacy initiatives.

Until 60 years ago, every university required Civic Education. Every college and university should bring it back.