American Universities in Crisis: Bollinger's 'University: A Reckoning' Examined
In his latest book, Lee C. Bollinger tackles the challenges facing American higher education, noting a significant decline in public trust from 57% in 2015 to just 42% in 2025. The perception of college as 'very important' has dropped sharply, with only 35% of adults holding this view compared to 70% in 2013. According to a Pew survey, 70% of respondents believe that higher education is on the decline. Faculty morale has suffered, with many producing critical analyses. A 2023 AAUP report indicates that nearly 70% of faculty are contingent, a rise from 47% in 1987. Student debt has reached $1.833 trillion, averaging $31,960 per public university student. In 2025, the Trump administration issued Executive Orders targeting DEI programs and the Department of Education, while Bollinger emphasizes the role of universities as a 'fifth estate,' despite criticism regarding their neglect of adjunct labor concerns.
Key facts
- Public confidence in American higher education dropped from 57% to 42% between 2015 and 2025 (Gallup).
- Only 35% of US adults say college is 'very important,' down from 70% in 2013.
- 7 in 10 Americans say higher education is going in the wrong direction (Pew).
- Nearly 70% of US faculty held contingent positions in 2023, up from 47% in 1987 (AAUP).
- Total student-loan debt reached $1.833 trillion as of early 2026; average public university student borrows $31,960.
- 2025 Leiden Ranking: only Harvard in global top 10; eight Chinese universities and one Canadian ahead.
- Trump signed Executive Order 14151 on Jan 20, 2025, and Executive Order 14242 on Mar 20, 2025.
- Columbia University paid $221 million in settlements to the federal government.
- Bollinger's book 'University: A Reckoning' proposes universities as a 'fifth estate' protected by the First Amendment.
- Bollinger won Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) upholding affirmative action, later overturned in 2023.
Entities
Artists
- Lee C. Bollinger
- Daniel Bessner
- Eugene Debs
- Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
- L.B. Sullivan
- Raj Chetty
- David J. Deming
- John N. Friedman
- Aaron Swartz
- Linda McMahon
- Donald Trump
- Anton Chigurh
Institutions
- Columbia University
- Gallup
- Pew Research Center
- American Association of University Professors
- Harvard University
- Leiden Ranking
- Department of Education
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- The New York Times
- JSTOR
- Oxfam
- Supreme Court
- University of Michigan Law School
- Brown University
- University of Pennsylvania
- The Harvard Crimson
Locations
- United States
- Columbia University
- Montgomery, Alabama
- Ohio