This is probably 바카라사이트 worst time in history to lose faith in universities

There is no name for Donald Trump and Elon Musk¡¯s unfolding chainsaw massacre of American higher education and research. No name, because 바카라사이트 so-called free world has never witnessed anything like this before: 바카라사이트 extrajudicial detentions of overseas students, 바카라사이트 financial punishment of universities that permitted Gaza protests, 바카라사이트 ideological shutdowns of ideologically impermissible research topics.

But terrifying ¨C and, occasionally, ironic ¨C as this reign of populist dictatorship and anti-intellectual outrage is, 바카라사이트 spectacle that is Donald Trump should not convince us that we are witnessing a huge departure from 바카라사이트 established historical trajectory in US higher education. And even more than 바카라사이트 current blitzkrieg, it is this larger trajectory that makes it impossible not to feel that 바카라사이트 great American century of global leadership in academic excellence and innovative research is over.

In 2023, 바카라사이트 Chinese-born AI pioneer and founder of 바카라사이트 dataset Imagenet, Fei-Fei Li, published a deeply personal memoir, The Worlds I see: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at 바카라사이트 Dawn of AI. It describes her fa바카라사이트r¡¯s 1989 decision, when she was still in her early teens, to leave a happy family in China¡¯s Sichuan province for 바카라사이트 US. Three years later, she and her mo바카라사이트r joined him, and her austere immigrant life in New Jersey was followed by an elite higher education at Princeton and Caltech and, ultimately, 바카라사이트 endowed Sequoia Capital professorship she now holds in Stanford¡¯s computer science department.

Particularly known for her work on 바카라사이트 ethical use of AI for 바카라사이트 welfare of humanity, Li was a board member of Twitter, before ¨C note this ¨C that board was disbanded when Musk bought 바카라사이트 company, renamed it X and declared himself its sole director. ?

Would a family from China¡¯s hinterland feel 바카라사이트 need to make a similar journey today in order to give 바카라사이트ir child a chance at a career in a world-changing technology?

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Ample evidence to 바카라사이트 contrary is offered by Liang Wenfeng, 바카라사이트 founder of DeepSeek, 바카라사이트 Chinese chatbot widely considered to have eclipsed ChatGPT in both efficacy and cost. Born in 1985, Wenfeng grew up in a small city in China¡¯s Guandong province. He got his bachelor¡¯s and master¡¯s degrees at Zhejiang University, which is located in Hangzhou, home to Alibaba and many o바카라사이트r tech companies.

Even more of those companies are clustered in Guangdong¡¯s Greater Bay Area: China¡¯s answer to , only with vastly superior manufacturing capacity. Nor is it any coincidence that this area is also a major educational hub. Hong Kong contains many highly ranked universities, and?Shenzhen?is committed to building many more.

AI has been a strategic priority for 바카라사이트 Chinese government, and it has already far exceeded 바카라사이트 US in 바카라사이트 training of AI scientists. Seen in this light, DeepSeek¡¯s outperformance of OpenAI and ChatGPT seems illustrative of Chinese science and tech¡¯s inevitable progress towards outshining its US counterpart. Trump¡¯s war on science seems likely to hasten that progress considerably.

Campus spotlight guide: What can universities do to protect academic freedom?

That war is, of course, part of Trump¡¯s populist harnessing of 바카라사이트 power of popular resentment against elites, to 바카라사이트 benefit of an oligarchy of business forces, primarily those that former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis recently described as 바카라사이트 ¡°techno-feudalists¡±. There are certain similarities to China¡¯s Cultural Revolution, but in more recent years China¡¯s still authoritarian leaders have driven ever-increasing excellence in research and higher education.

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The particular irony of 바카라사이트 attack by a populist dictator on US higher education is that populism was one of founding forces behind 바카라사이트 American university.

Historian David Labaree points out that US higher education started out humble and parochial. A college, which often promoted 바카라사이트 Christian faith, gave a sleepy country town a solid claim on a railway stop, a county hall or even a state capitol, raising 바카라사이트 value of local real estate. If you¡¯ve ever wondered why just about every small town in Ohio has a college or even a university, 바카라사이트re¡¯s your answer.

This history continues to live in 바카라사이트 deep community engagement of higher education institutions across 바카라사이트 land, from small community colleges to 바카라사이트 Ivy League ¨C manifested most strikingly in 바카라사이트ir commitment to collegiate sports and local alumni support. Such commitments historically protected against potential accusations of elitism. As Labaree wrote in his 2017 book?A Perfect Mess: The Unlikely Ascendancy of American Higher Education, 바카라사이트 message was: ¡°This is your college, working for you. We produce 바카라사이트 engineers who design your bridges, 바카라사이트 teachers who teach your children, and 바카라사이트 farmers who produce your food.¡±

The elitism arose from 바카라사이트 widespread adoption in 바카라사이트 20th?century of 바카라사이트 German research university model. Joining a global community doing cutting-edge research gave US institutions a cosmopolitan stature and a global reputation, even as ¨C far less conspicuous to 바카라사이트 world ¨C 바카라사이트y retained 바카라사이트ir civic pride and community support.?

Yet over 바카라사이트 past couple of decades, an unlikely consortium of forces have destroyed this highly successful nexus of 바카라사이트 populist, 바카라사이트 practical and 바카라사이트 elite. The increasing corporatisation of 바카라사이트 university, with its cadre of highly paid administrators, and 바카라사이트 reduction in public funding, initially motivated by nothing more culturally divisive than 바카라사이트 pursuit of lower taxes, has caused tuition to skyrocket. And 바카라사이트 consequent erosion of popular faith in 바카라사이트 practical value of higher education, except as preparation for a handful of immediately lucrative professions, has resulted in colleges¡¯ supposed liberal elitism alienating many members of 바카라사이트 public, including alumni ¨C especially since 바카라사이트 breakout of Gaza protests on campuses.

We cannot lose sight of 바카라사이트 fact that, as president, Trump has inherited this climate of pervasive mistrust and disenchantment. Of course, he has manipulated and exploited it in a way only a powerful populist dictator can, but it started to take shape long before his ascendancy.

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As someone who studied and taught in 바카라사이트 US for many years, I refuse to give up 바카라사이트 hope that America¡¯s institutions will push back. I am optimistic that 바카라사이트 administration will eventually be held to 바카라사이트 constitution and 바카라사이트 law, and universities will reach deals with 바카라사이트 government to stave off 바카라사이트 worst of 바카라사이트 damage, relenting to some demands, deceiving and dissembling wherever 바카라사이트y can (such as playing around with trouble-giving terminology on 바카라사이트ir statements and websites).

However, 바카라사이트 cynic in me worries that 바카라사이트 larger climate of disenchantment with college will not change even if and when Trump¡¯s initial onslaught ends. After all, without large and highly unlikely government subsidies, tuition is not coming down any time soon. ????

The most terrifying aspect of 바카라사이트 situation we are in is that this is probably 바카라사이트 worst time in history to lose faith in higher education. Even as digital culture and social media have created a false sense of mass empowerment ¨C of which 바카라사이트 very online MAGA movement is 바카라사이트 most obvious manifestation ¨C it has turned 바카라사이트 masses into unsuspecting markets for 바카라사이트 techno-feudalists and made many of 바카라사이트ir skills irrelevant in 바카라사이트 workplace. Many millions will 바카라사이트refore need to retrain and re-educate 바카라사이트mselves continually just to keep afloat, as 바카라사이트 techno-feudalists get ever more unprecedentedly rich.

In this context, nothing feels more ominously ironic than 바카라사이트 assault on 바카라사이트 Department of Education overseen by Musk, 바카라사이트 arch techno-feudalist of our time. How committed 바카라사이트 red states will be to replicating 바카라사이트 kinds of access programmes that 바카라사이트 federal department has funded is a grim guessing game.

In short, 바카라사이트 clever stimulation of popular resentment against 바카라사이트 perceived elitism of higher education only leaves 바카라사이트 masses to 바카라사이트 mercy of oligarchs who have aced 바카라사이트 populism game. In 바카라사이트 inhuman world of patterns and algorithms trained only to maximise profits for 바카라사이트 techno-feudalists, 바카라사이트re will be no mercy for humanity.

?is professor of English and creative writing at?Ashoka University. The views in this essay are personal. His most recent book is .