“This Is a Generational Opportunity.”
Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier addressed a Heterodox Academy conference in Berkeley, warning that U.S. universities are increasingly subordinating scholarly standards to political agendas. He identified three faculty groups—a politicized minority, a majority seeking autonomy, and a dispersed, unorganized cohort—as the drivers of this drift. Diermeier urged faculty to organize across campuses, adopt clear principles, and pressure leaders to restore viewpoint diversity and academic rigor. While diagnosing a crisis, he expressed optimism, calling the moment a generational opportunity for reform.
Just the Facts | Inquisitive Issue #6 "Limits"
The blog reviews "The Weaponization of Expertise" by Rutgers professors Jacob Russell and Dennis Patterson, which argues that elite experts frequently disguise political judgments as neutral facts, especially evident in COVID‑19 shutdown policies. It highlights the case of an Illinois...
Trust in Universities Isn’t Just About Cost. It’s Also About Climate.
A new Inside Higher Ed survey shows just over half of college presidents have launched initiatives to rebuild public trust, with public universities 11 points more likely than private ones to act. While most efforts focus on tuition affordability and...
Pushing Past Limits | Inquisitive Issue #6 "Limits"
The latest issue of inquisitive, titled “Limits,” examines how various limits shape higher education, from self‑imposed constraints on heterodoxy to institutional trust deficits. Essays by Tony Banout and Abhishek Saha discuss paradoxical limits to dissent and argue for safeguarding academic...