A number of foreign countries have been ladling money into American colleges and universities in an obvious attempt at influencing how we view them. They’re using education as a smokescreen for propaganda. Should we care?

In today’s Martin Center article, history professor Michael C. Behrent argues that we should care.

He writes, “Foreign influence at American universities is a serious matter. Not only is the American university system world-class (for now, at least), but it is also at the top of the global higher-education pecking order: All things considered, many students, professors, and researchers throughout the world would rather be in the United States. American campuses tout their ‘globalized’ character as a self-evident virtue. Yet this admirable commitment also makes American universities vulnerable nodal points, particularly as the country enters a new Cold War.”

One might think that serious academic leaders would be sufficiently discerning to say “no, thanks” to money from governments that want to expand their “soft power” through our colleges. But they seldom turn away money because, as Behrent observes, our college leaders are so addicted to spending that they are unable to say “no.”

Behrent concludes with an appeal to bipartisanship: “Democrats and Republicans both believe that, in an increasingly dangerous international environment, foreign powers are leveraging their financial resources to corrupt to their advantage strategically important sectors of American society. The problem is that, in an era of no-holds-barred partisanship, they disagree as to which sectors are the most exposed. The fact that they both share the concern should, in principle, create space for sensible cooperation on the issue of foreign donations to higher education. Section 117 disclosure rules are reasonable and necessary. Yet both sides also need to reflect on how they contributed to the current situation. Some money stinks — and there should be incentives to smell it.”