Red states are taking over higher education, one board member at a time
Preview:
A new front has opened in the war on higher education. By controlling who sits on public college and university boards, red-state governors and legislators are shaping who is hired and what is taught.
In the past, trustees were generally chosen for their willingness and ability to support institutional missions and goals, not their fidelity to a particular ideology. Appointing partisans eager to pursue a political agenda undermines institutional autonomy, erodes shared governance and the norms that protect it, and imposes ideological filters on curricular and hiring decisions that should rest on academic expertise.
Originally published: September 21, 2025
Author: David Wippman
Position: President Emeritus
Institution: Hamilton College
Published by: The Hill