At Dartmouth, a green shoot in the higher-ed desert
Preview:
The long-running national argument over higher education has sent the disputants into three corners. There are the no-problem-here denialists, adamantly opposing reform and assuring themselves that the collapse in public esteem for their enterprise is just a messaging problem. Across the ring, facing them, you have the start-all-over crowd, which has given up on the sector and sees a future of AI academies, apprenticeships, microcredentials and new-model schools such as the University of Austin.
Originally published: August 28, 2025
Author: Mitch Daniels
Position: President Emeritus
Institution: Purdue University
Published by: The Washington Post