Yale Has Come Up With a Surefire Way to Make a Terrible Situation Worse
Preview:
A Yale faculty committee report on restoring public confidence in higher education makes several reasonable recommendations but draws sharp pushback for suggesting the university scale back its broader civic mission. Wesleyan University President Michael Roth disputes the report's framing, arguing that the goal of cultivating graduates who lead and serve in the world is not a recent departure but a foundational purpose American universities have held since their founding. Shrinking that mission, he suggests, is the wrong response to the current crisis of public trust.
Originally published: April 22, 2026
Author: Michael S. Roth
Position: President
Institution: Wesleyan University
Published by: The New York Times