​Self-inflicted wound: on higher education and Trump administration’s move

President Donald Trump’s threat to revoke the tax-exempt status of Harvard University as an educational institution will have far-reaching consequences not only for the wider student community but also for corporate America and the military-industrial complex. The administration also indicated that it would block the admission of foreign students, who make up nearly a third of Harvard’s student body. The university has refused to accept intrusive federal government control over its activities based on the premise that the government is providing hefty grants. The ostensible reason for the Trump administration’s move is the so-called “leftwing, antisemitic” protests against the Gaza War that broke out at Harvard and Columbia, which have the image of being left-liberal. The Trump administration seems to be playing to its ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) base which has nursed historical grievances against northeastern elites and their universities, exemplified in the Ivy Leagues. These institutions are indeed elite in terms of academic standards but Harvard admits students from a socio-economic spectrum through generous scholarships. The Trump administration opposes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion principles ideologically and Harvard could also have been targeted for this reason. But Harvard has deep pockets and has heft in the corridors of power to outlast Mr. Trump.

Mr. Trump’s slashing of government research funds has also affected several public universities, including in deep-red States such as Alabama. Public universities, barring a few such as in Michigan, Texas, and California that have built a sizeable endowment, depend on state support and are under increasing political control. America’s government-induced crisis in higher education threatens a key edifice of American strength and power. It strikes at a long-standing belief in that nation, which is borne out by data, that getting a college degree is a surer path towards prosperity. Mr. Trump, formerly a Democrat, is only part of a long-term global mega-trend in politics. The big picture is that America is only a late entrant in defunding public higher education. The U.K., under Margaret Thatcher, was an early starter. India joined the stream long ago with the NDA government only deepening the cutbacks. Australia, Singapore, Germany and the Scandinavian countries are holding out among the developed nations. It is no coincidence that China’s ascent has paralleled continued public funding of higher education. Much like the U.S. universities of the past, Chinese higher education institutions are building a knowledge base on other nations and regions. Future generations of Americans will see this as a self-inflicted wound.