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Photo illustration by Justin Morrison/Inside Higher Ed | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | Paul Morigi/Getty Images
For an industry that employs four million Americans and attempts to educate 15 million more, higher education is, strangely, routinely ignored in presidential elections. Every four years, higher ed types wonder if this will turn out to be the long-awaited “higher ed election.” And every November, they realize that aside from some jibes at “woke” students and the occasional proposal for free community college or Title IX reform, the topics that matter to colleges and universities barely came up at all.
But there’s hope for 2024, though not for the best of reasons. Skepticism of a college degree’s value has risen to the level of a public relations crisis. The post–Oct. 7 unrest that roiled some campuses turned them—and their students and faculty—into convenient political objects of loathing and derision for populist Republicans and invited congressional investigations into their handling of antisemitism charges. The rise in state control over public universities bubbled up in the primary, in the form of Florida governor Ron DeSantis, and even Donald Trump declared that “firing the accreditors”—an unlikely wedge issue if ever there was one—would be his “secret weapon” for winning back the White House.
Reported by Johanna Alonso, Jessica Blake, Susan H. Greenberg, Katherine Knott, Josh Moody, Ryan Quinn, Marjorie Valbrun and Sara Weissman.
Meanwhile, President Biden has struggled to make good on his promises to undo Trump’s Title IX reforms and push through mass student loan forgiveness. At the same time, he’s alienated many young voters—who could well decide the election in closely contested swing states—with his staunch backing of Israel. And both candidates, aiming to win over Black voters, have boasted about how much they’ve done for HBCUs.
That’s a lot of fodder for a debate. But it doesn’t scratch the surface of the challenges colleges and universities are confronting. For starters, how can a college education be affordable, offer equitable opportunity without affirmative action and remain relevant to the emerging economy?
The debate moderators, try as they might, won’t get to all the important questions the present and former presidents should have to answer tonight. So we asked a range of higher ed leaders, thinkers, reformers and skeptics what they’d ask Biden, Trump or both candidates if CNN magically handed them the microphone.
Here are some of their sharpest questions, edited for clarity and concision. Now, we’d all like some answers.
AFFORDABILITY AND STUDENT DEBT
Rotua Lumbantobing
Vice president, American Association of University Professors, and professor at Western Connecticut State University
The U.S. has a world-class public education system, but states’ divestment in public universities has resulted in higher tuition rates, worsening racial inequalities and preventing many from a path of upward mobility. How can we maintain and extend excellence in public higher education while making college and university affordable for a broad swath of U.S. society?
David Wippman
President of Hamilton College
President Biden, you have proposed a range of measures to make higher education affordable, from loan forgiveness to expanding Pell Grants. Yet a majority of Americans now question whether higher education is worth the cost. What is the proper role of the federal government in ensuring that all qualified students can get a college education without incurring a crushing burden of debt, and what role, if any, should the government play in limiting tuition increases?
Ryan Craig
Managing director at Achieve Partners and author of Gap Letter and Apprentice Nation: How the “Earn and Learn” Alternative to Higher Education Will Create a Stronger and Fairer America
President Biden, your administration has gone to great lengths to forgive as much student loan debt as possible, adding $145 billion to the current year federal budget deficit. But other than restarting the Obama-era crackdown on “predatory” for-profit colleges, implementing new disclosure requirements for all institutions as a component of new gainful-employment rules, and further broadening the consumer protection agenda, we’re straining to see a forward-looking vision for how postsecondary education should evolve to better serve students and families in our digitally transformed economy. With evidence of diminishing return on investment from degree programs, with a majority of students now graduating into underemployment and record-low confidence in higher education institutions, how will you require all colleges and universities to deliver more value for students?
Michelle Dimino
Director of education at Third Way
Nearly 40 million Americans started college but never completed a degree. This contributes to financial struggles faced by borrowers and their families, losses on taxpayer dollars, and an undertrained workforce to meet economic needs—but it’s almost never talked about nationally. What do you believe the federal role is in stemming the college completion crisis, and what steps will your administration take to increase graduation rates and decrease college dropout rates nationwide?
CAMPUS CULTURE WARS AND ACADEMIC FREEDOM
Nicholas Dirks
CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences and former chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley
Given the level of government support for private institutions of higher education, should we mandate the extension of First Amendment protections to all private universities to bring them into line with public universities? Follow-up question: Will you pledge to support the priority of free speech protections in universities, even when they might come into conflict with other legislation or federal programs and initiatives?
David Wippman
President Trump, you have often criticized “woke” indoctrination of students and promised to use the accreditation process to reclaim colleges and universities from the “radical left.” Yet numerous studies offer little support for claims that students are being indoctrinated or that their political views change significantly while in college. What specific evidence do you have of woke indoctrination in U.S. colleges and universities?
Paulette Granberry Russell
President of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education
At least 85 bills have been introduced in 28 states and the U.S. Congress that would limit or outright ban programs and practices that encourage diversity, equity and inclusion in public education (secondary and postsecondary). Do you believe these bans on DEI initiatives affect this country’s social values, its commitment to equality and equity, and democracy?
Kenneth Stern
Director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate and author of The Conflict Over the Conflict: The Israel/Palestine Campus Debate
One of the complaints from many Jews about the campus protests is that antisemitism should be treated like other forms of bigotry but frequently isn’t. The House recently passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act, mandating that civil rights investigations use the definition of antisemitism established by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which includes examples about speech regarding Israel. Would you sign this bill if it is passed by the Senate? And if so, would you encourage Congress to adopt a parallel government-sanctioned definition of racism that also included political examples, such as opposition to affirmative action or opposition to the removal of Confederate statues?
Corey Saylor
Research and advocacy director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations
Free speech and academic freedom are on our minds. Considering administrators at higher education outlets shutting down pro-Palestine protests, through arrests or academic crackdowns, how would you ensure students and faculty on different sides of divisive political conversations are protected?
Jonathan Greenblatt
CEO of the Anti-Defamation League
Over the past year, we’ve seen colleges and universities struggle to both protect free speech and safeguard students from identity-based hate and harassment—and too often tolerate hostile environments that raise serious concerns under federal civil rights laws. ADL recorded 732 campus-based antisemitic incidents between Oct. 7 and the end of 2023 alone. This was a staggering 1,081 percent higher than in the same period in 2022, when ADL recorded only 62 incidents. In your second term, how will you deal with the recent and shocking rise in antisemitism, and how will your administration build on the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism?
Michael DeCesare
Senior program officer, American Association of University Professors
The AAUP and other national organizations have recently documented an alarming increase in political interference in higher education. This intrusion has significantly threatened colleges’ and universities’ autonomy and faculty members’ academic freedom and, with it, the quality of teaching and learning. As president, what would you do to protect this country’s colleges and universities from political interference and preserve academic freedom?
Genny Beemyn
Director of the Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Because of anti-DEI laws and policies, LGBTQ+ centers at state colleges and universities in Texas and Florida have been closed, and such centers in other states are threatened with closure. How do you respond to LGBTQ+ students who say that these spaces are a lifeline for them—that they likely would have dropped out of school or even attempted suicide if not for these centers and the support they received there?
IMMIGRATION AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Fanta Aw
Executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators
International students are major contributors to their campuses, communities, cities and the nation. Yet unlike other countries, the U.S. does not have a national strategy to attract and retain them. Many international students, upon completion, return home to contribute and become important bridge builders for the United States. Those who choose to remain in the U.S. help foster innovation and help grow the economy by contributing their skills and knowledge. As president, what policies would you put in place to welcome international students to the U.S., and for those who wish to contribute to the economy postgraduation, would you consider putting in place measures to streamline employability?
Rotua Lumbantobing
Excessively long wait times for visas, including student visas and visas for short-term research visits and conferences, mean that fewer foreign students are able to come to the United States. U.S. scholars and students have fewer opportunities to interact with their counterparts from abroad. What steps can the federal government take to ensure that the United States’ broken immigration system does not cut U.S. researchers and students off from crucial interactions with their counterparts abroad?
Ryan Craig
President Trump: As a result of anti-immigration policies enacted during your term, the U.S. fell well behind competitor countries in attracting international students, dampening the growth of one of America’s most important exports. Now you’re proposing that we staple green cards to college diplomas for international students. Why should international students trust that if they come to the U.S. during a second Trump administration, they’ll actually be able to stay and work?
INEQUITIES AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
Walter Kimbrough
Interim president of Talladega College
Historically Black colleges and universities have been a popular talking point since the 2020 election cycle. President Trump, you always mention them as part of your four-point accomplishments for African Americans, yet in actuality you submitted budgets that proposed cuts to HBCUs and important programs (like work-study and SEOG) every year. President Biden, you submitted the most aggressive plans for HBCUs of any presidential candidate, as well as bold budget increases, but Congress has tempered those goals with more modest increases. What are your plans for HBCU funding if re-elected, and how will you ensure the success of your proposals?
Shaun Harper
Executive director of the University of Southern California Race and Equity Center
A year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions. Some universities are already reporting that significantly fewer Black undergraduates are enrolling this fall compared to recent years. In the absence of race-conscious admissions policies and practices, higher education institutions need federal tools to ensure the racial diversity of their student populations. If re-elected, what will your administration do to ensure that talented students of color gain access to our nation’s most elite institutions?
Ivory A. Toldson
Howard University professor, editor in chief The Journal of Negro Education and former executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities
The persistent racial disparities in higher education are a reflection of the deeply entrenched systemic racism that permeates our society. In light of the Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action and the ongoing attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education, how will your administration address the worsening systemic racial inequities in access, affordability and student success outcomes?
Tracey Vitchers
Executive director of It’s On Us
President Trump, your administration’s changes to Title IX made it significantly harder for survivors to report sexual assault and obtain justice, walking back years of progress. We should strive for a world in which no student graduates college having experienced sexual assault. Given how these policies negatively impacted students and survivors across the country, what authority do you have to speak on protecting women’s safety and rights under Title IX?
INSTITUTIONAL HEALTH
Pano Kanelos
Founding president, University of Austin
New institutions, which could provide dynamic new models and desperately needed competition, are dissuaded from entering the marketplace by the regulatory environment. New institutions, for example, are unable to offer their students Pell Grants or subsidized federal loans until they are accredited, often taking seven or more years. And they must graduate students before they are accredited, yet it is extremely difficult to attract students who know that they will graduate from a not-yet-accredited institution. What will the next administration do to make it easier for new nonprofit universities that offer compelling curricular models and sustainable financial models to be put on fair competitive footing with legacy institutions?
Ryan Craig
President Trump, you’ve attacked colleges and universities for student protests, opposed the Biden administration’s efforts to forgive student loans, and threatened to shut down the Department of Education. And yet the only affirmative higher education proposal you’ve put forward is establishing a new national online university called the American Academy, which would be free for students. Is it your position that the many challenges facing higher education and workforce development are best solved via free college?
President Biden: Surviving as a small college has always been hard, but with your administration’s failed rollout of the new FAFSA form, it looks as though FAFSA completions will be down 10 percent this year, which means a 10 percent decline in new enrollment could be the minimum for small institutions. With small colleges already closing at an unprecedented rate of one per week, how will you change financial responsibility rules to ensure small colleges get the attention and help they need before going out of business, leaving students in the lurch and taxpayers on the hook?
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Jee Hang Lee
President and CEO of the Association of Community College Trustees
What role do you believe community colleges should play in workforce development, and how would your administration broker partnerships between community colleges and businesses?
Ryan Craig
With college graduate hiring down in an otherwise strong labor market, the impact of AI on entry-level jobs has begun to be felt. With a strong majority of employers reporting they believe AI will do the work of recent college grads and hiring fewer new workers, it’s clear that good entry-level jobs are shifting to higher-value work that will require prior experience in the industry and role. Whether through reform of the Federal Work-Study program or other means, how will you mandate or incentivize colleges and universities to ensure students get necessary work experience before graduating and joining the growing ranks of the underemployed?
Shawn VanDerziel
President and CEO of the National Association of Colleges and Employers
Internships, apprenticeships and similar experiences are important to developing a career-ready workforce and provide multiple benefits to students and employers alike—including, for students, a means by which they can explore and strengthen their skills and abilities and, for employers, as a means by which to attract and recruit new college-educated talent for their workforces. However, as many internships are unpaid, many students cannot afford to take part in this important experience. As a result, students of color, women and other historically marginalized groups are underrepresented in paid internships. How will your administration work toward expanding paid internships?
