Can college survive Trump?

American higher education is under attack. Project 2025 laid out the battle plan pretty clearly. Get rid of the Department of Education, shut off federal funding, take control of the accreditation system, and take down diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. And in the end, change what students are encouraged to study and what professors are allowed to teach.

The question we're left with is why? And is it working? I'm Sean Elling and this is the gray area. Today's guest is Michael Roth. He's the president of Wesleyan University and also a historian, a professor, and the author

Of several books about college, like Beyond the University and A Student, A Short History. Roth is one of higher ed's most vocal defenders, but he's also honest about where things have gone wrong and what needs to change. And he's willing to take a moral and political stand against a authoritarian overreach from the government, which he sees as an attack not just on colleges and universities, but on civil society itself. It's a pressing, urgent topic, one that I happen to care a lot about.

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