Donors put their money behind those whose mouths have been closed by the university

The rampant political correctness, wokeness, and demands for 'equity' all disguised under sanctimonious doublespeak from university administrators may finally be catching up with these grotesquely overpaid, so-called academic leaders. The same presidents who expect wealthy alums to fund their follies now want to act is if their hands are tied.

Alumni Withhold Donations, Demand Colleges Enforce Free Speech - WSJ.pdf

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As I commented on the article (posted above):

“We’re living in an environment where people on both sides, right and left, are engaged in a culture war and they want to use universities,” he said. “I don’t find that beneficial to our mission and I’m not interested in being a participant in it.”

Perhaps the most disingenuous statement I've ever read from a university president. And that is saying a lot. Hard to have a crossfire when you let the left disarm their critics.

“A little intellectual humility is not a bad thing,” she said. So says the president of Davidson. Actually, it is a very bad thing. It's like asking the defenders to cease fire while their enemy keeps shooting and re-loading.

Playing the victim has become a lame excuse for inept academic leadership, demonstrated by people with more salary than sense. When I was involved in fundraising as a dean, my story was always built on the idea that alums and business leaders want to donate to a success story with a positive message, and not from guilt, shame or sympathy. Just as parents are asking if a $300k private college degree in gender studies is worth it, alums and donors are asking if it makes any sense to donate to a college that promotes 'diversity' or 'social justice' as their primary institutional mission.

I've commented previously on this topic here, as well as here. And then there was this screed on "mission-free" universities. Regardless of tone, it has become eminently clear in the past two years that social engineering has taken over from serious, meaningful education on a large number of campuses, perhaps even the vast majority of our largest and 'leading' public and private universities.

When I read about Loyola now seating a committee for a two-year review of newly discovered allegations of Loyola's participation in selling slaves 150 years ago, I have to wonder: When will this end? Who will escape unscathed? All this at a time when the tide shows some small signs of turning back to more traditional values about family, policing, education and politics...and then the Omicron variant shows up, panicking the markets and providing the progressive pols another rationale for more tyranny, along with inflation, rising interest rates, supply chain miscues, and bloated bills from congress.