The silver lining in the Claudine Gay affair is that it has led to an outpouring of analysis about the problems that beset higher education in America, especially at the supposedly elite colleges and universities. How is it that they have strayed so far from their educational missions and become playgrounds for activists intent on dismantling our society?
In this Law & Liberty essay, Northwestern University law professor John O. McGinnis offers his thoughts, and they are well worth reading.
He writes:
Governance at elite universities is insular, unaccountable, and marred by conflicts of interest that prevent it from being focused on the historic mission of the university, encapsulated on Harvard’s coat of arms: seeking truth. Many nonprofits face similar structural difficulties that create a gap between the performance of their leadership and the fulfillment of their mission, but elite universities face added difficulties. They are so wealthy and market forces in elite higher education are so weak that there is no continuous pressure disciplining their behavior. Moreover, the returns in prestige and other benefits from being on an elite board of trustees are so substantial that members pull their punches to stay in the good graces of their fellows.
Good business leaders want a board with people who will tell them when they’re making a bad mistake. Sadly, we almost never find that kind of person on a university board — and the president probably wouldn’t listen even if one were to speak up.
The problems of university governance (especially private ones) are very difficult, but perhaps not intractable.
Hat tip: Don Boudreaux