In Bed With The Right Episode 74: The Trustees (with Lauren Lassabe Shepherd)
May 6, 2025
Lauren Lassabe Shepherd, a historian of American higher education and host of the American Campus podcast, dives into the often-ignored power of university trustees. She unpacks their significant influence over crucial institutional decisions and contrasts this with student activism narratives. The conversation covers the historical Roth affair at Stanford, the conservative strategies shaping academia, and the challenges posed by labor casualization. With sharp insights, Shepherd critiques Hillsdale College's narrow curriculum and discusses the ethical dilemmas of funding in higher education.
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Trustees Control Universities
- University trustees are central controllers of American colleges, often overlooked in public discourse.
- Their names are on major universities, reflecting their significant influence and wealth.
Trustees Have Final Authority
- University boards of trustees hold the final say on key decisions beyond faculty or administration influence.
- They are pivotal in major negotiations, such as with the Trump administration, over university policies.
How to Become a Trustee
- To become a trustee at a private university, donate millions and often be an alum with family legacy ties.
- Boards are self-perpetuating, selecting members from their current ranks.
