Elite American universities have been the brunt of severe criticism by alumni, donors, the public and politicians in a culture war that could have profound implications not only for academia, but for broader societal values and democratic politics. These issues are relevant in Canada because of the obvious parallels.
Some of the resulting penalties imposed on American colleges are overwrought — especially U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies barring foreign students from attending Harvard and defunding research. However, elite universities brought this existential crisis on themselves by failing to respond meaningfully to legitimate concern about civil rights violations and a lack of viewpoint diversity.
