This issue is one of the most important in higher education. The lack of balance is driving so many problems. Professor Jacobson is quoted in this.
From National Review:
Conservative Scholars Disagree on How to Increase Ideological Diversity at UniversitiesHarvard President Alan Garber recently admitted that the university has a lack of “viewpoint diversity” on its campus, but Harvard isn’t alone: Colleges nationwide have overwhelmingly progressive faculties and show little willingness to change.However, the Trump administration has put pressure on higher education to get its act together. As some university administrators and state legislators search for strategies to decrease ideological hegemony on college campuses, National Review spoke with right-of-center scholars who have faced hostile academic environments about how to make a difference.Universities across the country have overwhelming ideological disparities. At Yale University, 97 percent of faculty political donations go to Democrats or progressive organizations. The breakdown is similar at Ohio State University, the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and many other schools. Nationwide, more than 90 percent of donations from the education industry go to left-wing candidates or causes.Cornell law professor and EqualProtect.org founder William A. Jacobson said it is “close to impossible for anyone openly conservative or even moderate to get hired in the Humanities and Social Sciences, a problem increasingly affecting STEM.” He attributed this to the shared governance model, which allows academic departments to have high influence in hiring and other decisions.Samuel Goldman, an associate professor at George Washington University, says some left-leaning faculty members are open to ideological diversity but would consider a “centrist Democrat” to be conservative. “I don’t see much enthusiasm for hiring or even hearing views that reflect the opinions of the other 50% [of] Americans,” he said.While conservative scholars agree that academia needs reform, they offer different solutions. Some noted that bringing in conservative speakers or establishing visiting positions are good first steps, but they are not enough to make a long-term difference. Instead, structural change must happen.
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