Note to editors:
we are grateful Inside higher education In her recent column, “Higher Education Faces Competing Visions of the Future” (December 18, 2025), Editor-in-Chief Sara Custer writes about “Promoting Public Trust in Higher Education,” an initiative we co-lead with the Association of American Colleges and Universities. We write this letter to expand on Custer’s review of emerging responses to trust issues and to clarify what our initiative is advocating for and taking to strengthen public trust.
Higher education cannot restore public trust in colleges and universities unless the sector wakes up to the causes of the current crisis. In short, the fundamental problem is that when the department or its individual agencies come under public criticism, we are neither able to respond quickly, nor to convincingly explain why we should not do so, nor to effectively turn public attention to the overall value and purpose of our work. This paralysis is one reason for the catastrophic decline in public trust under increasing public and government scrutiny.
Solving the crisis will require a multi-pronged approach that balances internal reforms (although not in line with the government’s ill-fated compact) with better communications and a collective defense strategy. Higher education must become better and more agile at making changes that already enjoy broad support but are blocked by narrow interests; better at relentlessly prioritizing engagement with local communities; better at providing a meaningful welcome to all students, including those with conservative views and others who feel alienated from our institutions. When we are right, we also need to do a better job of building a strong, coordinated defense across the sector and communicating our values and purpose clearly and effectively so that the public can put things into context when we inevitably make mistakes.
We believe that internal reform, improved communications and stronger defenses are integral parts of the whole; unless we pursue these three goals simultaneously, higher education will not be able to regain the public’s trust or rebuild productive partnerships with government and communities. Our vision is to create a department that is flexible, responsive, inviting, humble and trustworthy, able to generate new knowledge and transform students’ lives. If colleges and universities act collectively and wisely, we believe the vision is achievable.
We look forward to sharing more details about our approach with you Inside higher educationreaders in the coming months.
