'It’s about to get worse': Conservatives target Harvard in effort to 'reshape education'

23 December 2024

A handful of Republican leaders — some nominated to assume positions in Donald Trump's Cabinet — are planning to use their newfound power in the coming months to "reshape higher education," according to a Monday Bloomberg report. And they're starting with Harvard University.

Per the report, the Harvard Crimson found in a survey that "only 13% of this year’s graduating seniors describe themselves as conservative or very conservative and more than three-quarters of faculty identify as liberal."

After Harvard computer science Professor Harry Lewis found out some "teachers offered condolences to students and told them classes were optional" following Trump's victory over Kamala Harris last month, the former Harvard College dean believes "the infantilization of students and politicization of the classroom" has become a real problem.

"We’ve allowed significant numbers of faculty to think the way that they are going to change the world is through some kind of social activism and that this is part of their responsibilities or opportunity as a scholar," he told Bloomberg.

The news outlet reports, "This fractious environment — in which faculty, students, administrators, activists and government officials are all at odds with one another — has made the job of university President Alan Garber, 69, particularly difficult. And for the physician and economist, installed as interim leader after [ex-President Claudine] Gay’s resignation in January, it’s about to get worse."

Right-wing leaders like Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), former congressman and Vice President-elect JD Vance, and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) have all recently publicly condemned the university for different reasons, including the school's endowments — which Vance said should have "massive tax hikes" — and the "lack of severe punishment" the university received after allowing students to protest the Israel-Palestine conflict on campus.

Aside from lawmakers, far-right activist Christopher Rufo is leading the charge to ensure the Trump administration makes Harvard its priority on its massive mission to change higher education.

Rufo told Bloomberg, "If we can extract changes from Harvard, if we can push it in a better direction, other universities will look at that as a signal and adjust their policies."

Harvard Classics Professor Richard Thomas told the news outlet, "Anti-democratic forces would gladly dismantle higher education."

He added, "Harvard may have to decide between living without federal funding or being dependent on submission to extreme political control that could come with that funding."

Bloomberg's full report is available here (subscription required).

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