Trump likely to win fight with Harvard, Colombia

 NY Post:

Even some of the most powerful critics of the DEI, such as Heather Mac Donald, have criticized the administration’s actions for overreach.

But the meta story that critics miss is that Trump is fighting a major decay within the university and public education system that is producing abysmal results academically and inculcating anti-Western ideologies that could do our civilization lasting harm.

Public trust in universities is declining rapidly, and the continuing acts of racial discrimination across campuses, on which much of Trump’s critique rests, stand on thin ice with the US Supreme Court.

While the courts may chip away at Trump’s offensive, the president has multiple funding spigots over which he has near plenary discretion. Harvard, Columbia, and others have few pressure points other than the courts, which have already, in the case of Harvard, slapped down some of its discriminatory programs.

Accordingly, they should, and likely will, soon come to the table.
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I support a merit-based selection process for students and faculty in higher education.  DEI is a priority for decline.  If an institution wants to be among the best, it should work to get the best faculty and best students.  Trump is right to push for excellence in education.