When Presidents Bypass Shared Governance

(Originally published in the Chronicle of Higher Education)

In his interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education, Johns Hopkins President Ronald Daniels recognizes the critical moment facing US higher education. The Trump administration’s unprecedented attacks on higher education extend beyond funding cuts to target due process, university independence, and academic freedom. As Michael Ignatieff, former president of the Central European University, wrote, “When a university is attacked, everyone’s freedom is attacked. That’s a message American college presidents should adopt as their own.” At this crucial moment, the AAU and a number of university presidents, including President Daniels, bypassed shared governance structures to participate in drafting the Trump administration’s Compact 2.0, thereby threatening the independence of higher education institutions, academic freedom, meritocracy, and freedom of expression on campus.

Compact 2.0 relies on misleading rhetoric citing a lack of public trust in higher education. Ironically, public trust in higher education, including medical and scientific researchers, ranks higher than all three branches of government, including the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court, as well as tech companies, according to Gallup data. Although polls show trust has declined over the past decade, this is part of a larger trend affecting all US institutions—not just universities. The mistrust in US institutions is, in part, a symptom of the Trump administration’s erosion of democratic norms and the rule of law and use of anti-university, “adaptable authoritarian rhetoric” from Russia and Hungary. As the Brookings Institution notes, “targeting higher education is an essential tool in the autocratic playbook.” Beyond polls, data tell a different story. College enrollment is stabilizing or rising despite demographic decline and the unaffordability crisis. Most high school students want to attend college. Globally, students trust our universities to provide unparalleled educational and research opportunities. International student enrollment continued to rise until the Trump administration’s anti-immigration measures caused a decline. In the US and around the world, millions of students and their families work hard to earn a spot in our classrooms and to save money to pay for it.

The main barrier to public engagement with universities isn't mistrust; it's affordability. Two-thirds of high school students who did not apply to college cited cost as the main reason. The Trump administration's actions worsened this affordability crisis by opposing reforms, ending student loan forgiveness, and threatening university funding. While we share the goal of debt-free education outlined in Compact 2.0, the Trump administration should lead the way by funding universities, reforming student loans, and pursuing bipartisan efforts to make college affordable.

The pressure the Trump administration exerted on President Daniels, other university presidents, and AAU members to participate in drafting Compact 2.0 offers a clear warning. By creating a sense of urgency and addressing presidents and boards of trustees, the Trump administration encourages university presidents to bypass shared-governance structures, due process, and proper consultation. It is alarming that AAU and university presidents succumbed to this pressure and failed to use this opportunity to strengthen the core of our institutions. Failing to work with faculty was a serious lapse in judgment. The drastic nature of the Trump administration’s proposals should not, and need not, lead to the circumvention of democratic and deliberative processes.

In contrast to the rhetorical, manufactured “trust crises” claimed by the Trump administration, there is a true crisis of trust plaguing our university. This is the crisis of trust between faculty and university administration. The continuous erosion of shared governance, the failure or reluctance of university administration to defend academic freedom, the circumvention of meritocracy and due process to force political hires, and the failure to respect academic norms and disciplinary expertise threaten the very foundations of higher education. Universities have weathered many financial crises over the years, most recently the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. But can they survive the destruction of academic freedom and shared governance? What will they be without these key principles? What legacy will university leaders leave behind: a commitment to principles while facing challenges, or opportunism and a shirking of responsibilities?

A healthy democracy needs healthy universities, as Daniels explains in his book, What Universities Owe Democracy. Healthy universities also need democracy within them. Democracy in universities manifests through shared governance, robust student organizations, and sacrosanct protections of academic freedom. These are the bedrocks upon which our universities are built. They are the reasons more young people continue to look to our campuses with hope and admiration, regardless of what polls and pundits tell them.

It is not too late to correct this course. President Daniels affirmed his commitment to proper department processes in faculty hiring. In our conversations with the Hopkins administration since Compact 2.0 was released, we heard confirmations of continued commitment to academic freedom and shared governance. We hope President Daniels and other university leaders respond to Compact 2.0 by working with elected, representative faculty bodies to affirm these commitments in word and deed. We hope AAU will not only engage with the Trump administration but also, more importantly, engage with faculty as represented by AAUP and many faculty unions, senates, and organizations around the country. Together, we can build the future of the American university—one rooted in diversity, democracy, academic freedom, and shared governance.

Lisa Siraganian
Professor, Johns Hopkins University
Hopkins AAUP Chapter President

Ahmed Ragab
Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Hopkins AAUP Chapter Vice President

Siobhán B. Cooke
Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Hopkins AAUP Chapter Secretary

Graham Mooney
Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Hopkins AAUP Chapter Treasurer