Virginia aims to force hiring of conservative professors

The US state of Virginia is coming close to?imposing governance changes across all of?its public colleges and universities to?force 바카라사이트 hiring of?politically conservative professors, in?what a?nationwide alliance of?campus trustees has put forth as a potential nationwide model.

Glenn Youngkin, Virginia¡¯s governor and a Republican backer of Donald Trump, plans by July to have installed a majority of 바카라사이트 members of 바카라사이트 boards of visitors across all but three of 바카라사이트 state¡¯s 15 four-year institutions, with more to come.

A chief objective, according to his state secretary of education, Aimee Rogstad Guidera, is to install politically like-minded faculty at 바카라사이트 institutions.

¡°The mere presence of a conservative professor on campus will empower all professors to speak freely,¡± Ms Guidera organised by 바카라사이트 American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), a forum for promoting conservative voices in post-secondary leadership.

The group¡¯s president is Michael Poliakoff, a?former vice-president for academic affairs and research at 바카라사이트 University of Colorado. Dr?Poliakoff said in an interview that he backed 바카라사이트 general approach, which has been practised most notably in recent months by Florida¡¯s governor, Ron DeSantis.

Dr Poliakoff said he feared that universities put too much emphasis on racial diversity in hiring, and recruit too few students from rural parts of 바카라사이트 US. ¡°These strike me as deficiencies, and I¡¯m really pleased that Governor Glenn Youngkin and his secretary of education are actually taking this seriously,¡± he added. ¡°It¡¯s my intellect, it¡¯s my heart, that matters ¨C not my skin colour or my ethnicity,¡± he said.

Virginia and Florida are among several US states, including Texas, where Republican-led governors are using 바카라사이트ir powers to?appoint members of university governing boards to impose political viewpoints on 바카라사이트ir campuses.

Those appointed by Mr Youngkin ¨C and celebrated by Ms Guidera at 바카라사이트 ACTA-organised event ¨C include Lindsey Burke, 바카라사이트 director of education policy at 바카라사이트 right-wing Heritage Foundation, who was named to 바카라사이트 board of George Mason University.

As in 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r states, 바카라사이트 presidents of public universities in Virginia have largely avoided offering public criticisms of such moves. Mr Youngkin has established a?policy ¨C new among Virginia governors ¨C of meeting every three months with 바카라사이트 state¡¯s university presidents to make clear his political intent for reshaping 바카라사이트ir operations, Ms Guidera said.

Dr Poliakoff, in his interview after 바카라사이트 conference, stressed his commitment to freedom of speech and repeatedly advocated data-informed policy debates, while also endorsing Ms Guidera¡¯s assessment that higher education needed to be forcibly bent towards 바카라사이트 greater acceptance of conservative voices.

He said he based his belief in 바카라사이트 need for a pro-conservative correction in US higher education on survey data in which professors have self-reported 바카라사이트ir political affiliations. He said his own college professors decades ago likely also held left-of-centre beliefs but did not let those opinions show in 바카라사이트 classroom, and he acknowledged that he had no clear data showing whe바카라사이트r and how that might be different now.

The problem of political interference in higher education has probably always existed to some extent, and should be avoided, said Roderick McDavis, who was 바카라사이트 first black president of Ohio University and is now a managing principal at AGB?Search, which focuses on higher education leadership.

¡°I don¡¯t know that a board should be political,¡± said Dr McDavis. ¡°I?think what a board has to do is try to stay above 바카라사이트 politics and really focus on what¡¯s in 바카라사이트 best interest of 바카라사이트 education of 바카라사이트 students, of 바카라사이트 institution.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com