Heterodox Out Loud

How Universities Lost the Public—and How to Win Them Back with Jenna & Ben Storey | Ep 34

Apr 22, 2025
Jenna and Benjamin Storey, senior fellows at the American Enterprise Institute, delve into the waning trust in American universities and propose ways to rekindle public faith in higher education. They discuss the drift from civic missions, the alarming decline in ideological diversity on campuses, and innovative models like Schools of Civic Thought. The Storeys emphasize the necessity for universities to foster open inquiry and articulate a clearer civic purpose amidst political scrutiny, championing a reinvigorated liberal education for a polarized society.
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ANECDOTE

Academic Love Story Began in Debate

  • Ben and Jenna Storey met in the Committee on Social Thought at University of Chicago in 1999.
  • Their intellectual arguments about Weber and Aristotle blossomed into a long-term scholarly and personal collaboration.
INSIGHT

Loss of Public Trust Causes

  • Universities have lost public trust mainly by failing to foster genuine reflection on the world.
  • Lack of viewpoint diversity and inadequate civic education contribute significantly to this decline.
INSIGHT

Universities as Islands of Patience

  • Universities should be islands of patience, allowing deep reflection amid a culture of haste.
  • This slow, long-term thinking is a key intellectual treasure of higher education.
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