Education Secretary McMahon asks American universities to outline commitments to ‘national service’

Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday asked American universities to reaffirm their commitment to "national service" by the end of the year, as the United States celebrates its 250th birthday.

McMahon emphasized that American trust in higher education has reached record lows, despite higher education institutions previously serving as beacons of American excellence and a source of "immense national pride."

"They excited in students a love of beauty and truth; they advanced science and opened opportunities in a growing national economy; they powered the modern research enterprise that secures our sovereignty and military might; and they served as indispensable repositories of our civilizational inheritance," she wrote in an open letter to university presidents and boards. 

"Yet, as higher education has drifted from the principles that built up so much public esteem, Americans’ trust in universities has reached record lows."

The secretary highlighted recent reports from Yale University and other schools that have documented politicization in the humanities and that a drop in academic standards and unclear admissions policies have "badly eroded public trust."

McMahon called on every university and college in the United States to clearly describe their "commitments to rigorous teaching, pathbreaking research, and national service," in an effort to boost transparency in higher education.

"I know that there is no single template for academic excellence, and I hope we will witness a variety of institutional types, each with distinct missions and priorities, issue landmark declarations of purpose that will revitalize higher education in the years ahead," she wrote.

She also asked the schools to address seven topics, ranging from the transparency of their admissions processes to the promotion of the “free exchange of ideas” on campus, emphasizing that it was the first step in rebuilding public trust.

The letter comes after 70% of Americans told Pew Research Center last year that the U.S. higher education system was moving in the wrong direction, which was an increase from the 56% who said the same in 2020. Just 28% said its moving in the right direction. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.