From left to right clockwise: Dr. Michael Gavin of Delta College; Patricia A. McGuire of Trinity Washington University; Dr. Michael S. Roth of Wesleyan University, and Eric Mlyn, director of the Democracy and Politics of American Higher Education project at Duke University’s Kenan Institute for Ethics.
Moderated by Eric Mlyn, director of the Democracy and Politics of American Higher Education project at Duke University’s Kenan Institute for Ethics, the discussion featured Dr. Michael Gavin, President of Delta College; Patricia A. McGuire, President of Trinity Washington University; and Dr. Michael S. Roth, President of Wesleyan University.
McGuire, who leads the small, private Catholic University in Washington, D.C. outlined what she termed an “ideology of ignorance,” citing an assault on knowledge and expertise as foundational threats to higher education.
“Our business is knowledge,” she said. “We convey knowledge to students in order to build their expertise so they can become the citizen leaders of the future, and I look at the situation right now and I say, ‘How can I encourage my students to be as expert as possible?’”
The panelists explored how the incoming second Trump administration’s anticipated policies could create increased challenges for colleges and universities, specifically targeting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, accreditation processes and federal funding.
Gavin pointed to the implementation of a federal “playbook” from the previous Trump administration that enabled states to adopt policies aimed at marginalizing Black and Brown students.
