‘America’s Elite Universities Have Lost Their Way’

Trust in America’s elite universities has declined sharply over the past decade [non-paywalled source]. A Manhattan Institute survey conducted in June 2025 found that only 42% of Americans have significant trust in higher education, down 15 percentage points from a decade earlier. Trust in Ivy League institutions stands at just 15%.

Harvard is considering building trade schools as part of a settlement with the Trump administration. The proposal comes as elite universities…