Is Yale about to Repeat Harvard’s Mistakes? | RealClearEducation

Many concerned about the current state of higher education cheered the resignations of Claudine Gay of Harvard and Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania. To be sure, the leadership vacancies at numerous elite universities not only Harvard and Penn, but also Stanford and Yale present an exciting opportunity for reformers. Having launched its presidential search in late August, well before recent controversies elsewhere, Yale could be one of the first to find its new leader.  And yet, if the progress of Yale s search is any indication, the higher education reformers of the world ought not to celebrate too soon.

One reason is the Washington Free Beacon s January report that Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken was a contender for the Yale presidency. As the Beacon thoroughly documents, throughout Gerken s tenure, the Yale Law School has been at the center of numerous free speech controversies. With Yale s reputation having declined in recent years, in part, owing to these incidents, her appointment would signal the Yale Corporation s commitment to doubling down on that negative trend.

Another issue is that the Yale Corporation seems to be overlooking growing concerns about free speech voiced by faculty, students, and alumni throughout the search process. The search committee may be holding listening sessions, but are they really listening?

via www.realcleareducation.com

Oh dear.