Peter Robinson Unbridled The Happy Warrior Remaking Higher Education - Will Inboden
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Nov 14, 2025 
Will Inboden, a distinguished historian of U.S. foreign policy and the new provost at the University of Texas at Austin, delves into the pressing issues facing American higher education. He explores the unraveling public trust in universities and the impact of political activism within academia. Can universities reclaim their role as cultural conservators? Inboden discusses the decline of the liberal arts, the importance of viewpoint diversity, and the quest for truth amid ideological pressures. It's a fascinating dialogue on reshaping education for the future.
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University's Core Purpose
- Will Inboden defines the university's purpose in three words: pursuit of truth.
- He argues belief in discoverable truth should orient research, teaching, and service.
Broken Social Contract With Public
- Inboden traces collapsing public trust to a broken social contract between universities and the American people.
- He cites COVID, George Floyd protests, and campus responses to October 7 as accelerants.
From Activist To Academic Example
- Inboden recounts a Yale professor who pursued a PhD as political activism after Reagan's Grenada invasion.
- He says many professors followed similar activist-to-academic paths, fueling politicization.