A little over half of college presidents responding to an annual survey fear that President Trump’s second administration will hurt higher education.
In a poll of 298 campus leaders released Thursday, trade publication Inside Higher Ed found 51% believe Mr. Trump’s policies will have a somewhat or significant negative impact on their sector; 38% expect a somewhat or significant positive influence, and the rest foresee no effect.
Flagging their top concern, 80% of respondents predict the Republican president will hurt the climate of diversity, equity and inclusion on campuses nationwide. An additional 60% said he will damage DEI at the schools they lead.
Hanover Research administered the survey in December and January before Mr. Trump took office. On Jan. 21, he signed an executive order targeting race-based college admissions and DEI programs.
“Given the timing of the survey and the rapid-fire executive orders and other actions that have followed, which included a temporary freeze on federal funding that created uncertainty and alarm across the sector, some experts believe presidents would respond even more negatively now,” Josh Moody wrote in a summary of the findings for Inside Higher Ed.
Most presidents, 72%, reject Mr. Trump’s plan to shutter the Education Department; 21% are uncertain of the idea and just 8% support it.
By a ratio of 42% to 30%, male presidents are likelier than women to feel confident about the Trump administration.
At the same time, the survey left room for Mr. Trump to improve on his predecessor and found most presidents positive about their future.
In last year’s survey, just 33% of presidents were happy with President Joe Biden’s higher education policies; 41% were dissatisfied with his policies, including his student loan forgiveness push.
Arthur Keiser, chancellor of Keiser University in Florida, said the Trump administration has “prioritized student return on investment” instead of passing costs along to colleges.
“While change can present challenges, we are optimistic that the Trump administration’s efforts will benefit students,” Mr. Keiser said Thursday. “We welcome the opportunity to engage in these discussions and contribute to shaping policies that create meaningful opportunities for American students.”
The findings come amid a growing backlash against DEI policies at universities.
Private Boston University announced this week that it would shutter its Center for Antiracist Research. Program founder Ibram X. Kendi will depart on June 30 to head a new institute at Howard University, a historically Black institution.
In a survey that the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression released in December, half of professors at top colleges voiced opposition to mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion pledges for faculty.
According to insiders interviewed by The Washington Times, DEI policies have become a harder sell under the Trump administration.
“This is because they are so corrosive of meritocracy in organizations where meritocracy is important,” said Bradley Watson, a government professor at right-leaning Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C., campus. “Even liberals can see this.”
Bequita Pegram, a social justice historian at Prairie View A&M University, a historically black public school in Texas, said not all colleges that adopted DEI initiatives in recent years were serious about them.
“For DEI pledges to be effective, institutions must ensure they are more than checkboxes,” Ms. Pegram said.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.