Money talks. Money decides who gets to talk. And money determines what should not be talked about.
The most recent example of the toxic effect of money comes from Yale University, where the eminent historian Beverly Gage resigned from her position heading the prestigious Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy. The “Brady” is Nicholas F. Brady, former U.S. Treasury Secretary under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. “Johnson” is Charles B. Johnson, a mutual fund billionaire and leading Republican donor who gave $250 million to Yale in 2013.
The Grand Strategy Program started in 2000 and was “purchased” by Brady and Johnson in 2006 when they endowed it with $17.5 million. That is pocket change in Yale’s $31.4 billion endowment, but letting the boys buy the Grand Strategy Program evidently primed the pump for the $250 million, Yale’s largest gift ever.
Johnson’s estimated net worth is $4.8 billion. He did not earn that by teaching Critical Race Theory. He has supported politicians like Mississippi’s Cindy Hyde-Smith, who famously quipped, “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.” Lauren Boebert is also a favorite.
His patience with the Brady-Johnson Grand Strategy Program ran out when an instructor in the program called the former president a demagogue, one of the more genteel nouns one might choose for the twice-impeached, serial lying, narcissistic sociopathic sexual predator who incited an insurrection.
The miffed donors then invoked the dormant right they encoded in their original agreement to assemble a Board of Visitors which would “advise” on the appointment of all practitioners in the program. After a bit of futile back and forth with Yale president Peter Salovey, Gage had enough and quit.
Another recent example of this phenomenon was the initial denial of tenure to Nikole Hannah-Jones at the University of North Carolina. Hannah-Jones developed The 1619 Project at the New York Times which has been vilified along with Critical Race Theory by conservative politicians and media.
Hannah-Jones accepted a prestigious appointment as Knight Chair at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. The school was named for Walter E. Hussman, Jr., a media mogul whose journalistic claim to fame was the creation of a deeply conservative Arkansas newspaper. He pledged $25 million to buy the naming rights.
Hannah-Jones applied for tenure, which was enthusiastically referred to the UNC Board for approval. A decision was twice deferred with no public explanation. Hannah-Jones initially accepted a five year appointment without tenure. UNC, rightly embarrassed by a barrage of negative publicity, reversed course and offered tenure. Hannah-Jones said “no thanks” and accepted a similar position at Howard University. Hussman’s fingerprints were all over the UNC Board’s dual denials. He was sufficiently miffed at her appointment that he suggested that all faculty hires, tenure notwithstanding, be vetted by the Board. Hannah-Jones’s thoughtful summary is revelatory.
These two examples are the tip of an iceberg of corporate control of higher education in America. Decades ago the absurd mantra “run it like a business” became ubiquitous in education. The implication was that ivory tower intellectuals needed oversight by the corporate wizards who really know how things work. That arrogant notion, paired with the ever-escalating arms race of fundraising, has transformed College and University governance. I did a very quick review of current boards at three “elite” schools. Nine of Yale’s 14 trustees are investment bankers. At Dartmouth it is 15 of 23 and at Stanford 19 of 33 board members are wealthy investment types.
I don’t mean to impugn the actions or motivations of each of these individuals, but the prevalence of their values and life experiences have profound impact on higher education including, perhaps most significantly, the selection of institutional leaders. It is unsurprising that folks like Yale’s president Salovey and UNC’ Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz offer fealty to their employers and donors.
I suppose change is not in the wind. Fortunately, not all boards of trustees willfully stomp all over the fading line between governance and institutional leadership. In my 19 years as Head of the Calhoun School the board never once inserted itself into hiring, promotion or academic programming - even when we were early to the diversity, equity and inclusion work that has created such mayhem in many schools and colleges.
But when they do stomp on the line, education leaders ought to show a bit of backbone. At Yale, Peter Salovey could have offered Brady and Johnson their money back if they insisted on interfering with academic programs. And if the right-wing Johnson reneges on his $250 million gift, all the better. An institution with integrity might have declined that kind of dirty money in the first place.
Thank goodness there are women of conscience like Beverly Gage and Nikole Hannah-Jones who apply the disinfectant of daylight to the spineless acquiescence of their institutions.