Where Do America’s Colleges Go From Here?
The Atlantic examines the Trump administration's recent inquiries into higher education, focusing on affordability, curriculum, and national service. The article explores the ongoing tension between federal oversight and university independence.
Why it matters
This reflects a critical shift in the relationship between the federal government and academic institutions, with implications for academic freedom and funding.
The Trump administration has a new series of questions for colleges about affordability, curriculum, and “national service”—how will they respond? And: W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington in a dubious battle over education, from the Atlantic archives.
Jon Lovette / Getty August 24, 2026, 2 PM ET Share Save Listen − 1.0 x + Seek 0:00 27:51
On August 3, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter to states and higher-education leaders with instructions to, as McMahon put it, “describe to the American public your commitments to rigorous teaching, pathbreaking research, and national service—commitments that make our universities a bedrock institution of the American republic.”
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