How Can Universities Survive?

Universities are either not having a moment or they’re having a moment but a really really bad one. Higher ed is in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, which has been freezing research funding, attacking DEI, clamping down on visas for foreign students, along with a spray of other attacks. Students are looking less favorably on the liberal arts, at the same time that AI is threatening the prospects of coding and other formerly rosy employment options. This Humanities NOW panel discussion will try to put it into perspective, both summarizing the attacks and examining how universities can move on while retaining long held values. The panelists are drawn from across the UW-Madison’s humanities faculty.

media release: Humanities Now series, Room L140.

Universities are at the center of a political storm. From freezes on research funding to federal investigations and fines, academic institutions are navigating critical challenges and responding in a range of ways. At this special panel discussion, we’ll take a step back, to look at historical origins and oft-repeated attacks. We’ll also look forward, to examine how universities can continue to serve students and communities. We’ll address the suppression of freedom of speech and assembly, student activism, and how to protect academic freedom. We’ll look at both local contexts and the on-the-ground realities in our own classrooms and at comparative examples from around the world.

We’ll ask: How does a university articulate its values? How do we ensure that all students have the capacity to become productive citizens? What role does intellectual, moral, and political courage play in maintaining autonomy? And how might universities emerge from this intense scrutiny? We’ll have ample time for your own questions, too. The conversation is free and open to all.

Our esteemed panelists include:

• Anna Andrzejewski, Frank Lloyd Wright Professor of Modern American Architecture, Department of Art History, UW-Madison
• Erica Halverson, Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Chair, Department of Theatre and Drama, UW-Madison
• Giuliana Chamedes, Associate Professor, Department of History, UW-Madison
• Jan Miernowski, Halverson-Bascom and Douglas Kelly Professor of French, UW-Madison
• Moderated by Russ Castronovo, Director, Center for the Humanities and Tom Paine Professor of English, UW-Madison

Humanities NOW conversations are convened each semester to offer thoughtful perspectives on breaking issues of our times among experts and practitioners from UW-Madison and the broader community. Our Humanities NOW discussions offer deeper insights and perspectives not found in general media coverage of disturbing, urgent events. Recently, we’ve featured subjects such as Public Universities, Legislatures, and Academic Freedom and Dissent on Campus.