The most recent Gallup poll of Americans’ confidence in higher education showed the first improvement in a decade: 42 percent of Americans say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education, up from 36 percent in each of the past two years. But even if confidence in colleges and universities is trending upward, it’s still lower than where it was in 2015, 57 percent.
As colleges grapple with this public opinion problem, a report published Tuesday by the American Association of Colleges and Universities says that not only does low confidence create problems for institutions, it leaves them open to political attacks on their independence.
The report, “The Trust Agenda: A Framework for Advancing Trust in Higher Education,” suggests the root cause of low public trust is institutions’ lack of trustworthiness. To regain trust, university leaders must proactively take more accountability on behalf of their institutions, build stronger community partnerships and show their value—even to community members who never enroll, AAC&U says.
IU Professor Investigated for Graphic About White Supremacy Loses Job
The Question Haunting the Vanderbilt/Wash U Report (opinion)
