University presidents: We've been blindsided

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Leaders of top institutions acknowledge that perceptions of elitism have hurt their brand.



University presidents say they have been blindsided by charges that they are catering to the wealthy at the same moment that conservatives attack them for elitism, turning their once-untouchable institutions into political punching bags.

POLITICO talked to more than a dozen college and university presidents, from small colleges to Ivy League universities and top public institutions, who expressed fear that they’re losing public and political support at an alarming rate.

The GOP’s tax plan is the clearest and most recent example of that backlash – and college presidents say it was a wake-up call.
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Polls show Republicans growing particularly critical of higher education — but Democrats, especially working-class Democrats, also may be losing faith.

One poll found as many as 58 percent of Republicans say colleges and universities have a negative effect on the way things are going in the country.
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Some leaders see the Republican tax plan as a particularly dangerous shot. Higher education, they fear, has become defined as a liberal constituency in a way that could continue to erode support at the federal and state levels. - Politico

Fox News, RW media, conservatism, the GOP, Drumpf, nonstop delegitimizing propaganda, etc... Any questions.

Do we want our universities to offer a broad minded scope of learning or one tailored to the conservative model?
lib·er·al (lĭb′ər-əl, lĭb′rəl)
adj.
1.
a. Favoring reform, open to new ideas, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; not bound by traditional thinking; broad-minded. See Synonyms at broad-minded.

broad-minded
adj
1. tolerant of opposing viewpoints; not prejudiced; liberal
2. not easily shocked