President of Dartmouth College Sian Beilock admits the obvious in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal: “American higher education has a trust problem.”
“Assuming that most Americans value our mission is a recipe for irrelevance and decline. We must demonstrate to students and families—and to the broader public—that we’ve heard their criticisms and will address them,” writes Beilock.
She then proposes five very reasonable improvements to improve American universities.
“First, make college affordable. If the public no longer believes it is a good investment, that’s a problem. Solving it starts with lowering the cost.”
“Second, the return on investment matters. Affordability isn’t enough … Institutions should be held accountable for student outcomes: Are our graduates getting jobs, pursuing meaningful work, and contributing to their communities?” (RELATED: Ivy Leagues Face Reality: No-Test Admissions Led To Fewer High-Achieving Applicants)
“Third, re-center higher education on learning rather than political posturing.” Beilock gestures to the ideological capture present in American higher education, calling to embrace “institutional neutrality … on issues that don’t directly affect our mission or core functions.”
“Fourth, emphasize equal opportunity, not equal outcomes. One quiet way we’re undermining trust is by erasing meaningful performance distinctions. Grade inflation—especially at elite universities—reduces a transcript’s significance. Employers notice; so do students.” Indeed. The Ivy League has plenty of prestige at present, but their stores of social capital are not infinite. They need to churn out impressive graduates.
🎓 “American higher education has a trust problem. We shouldn’t pretend otherwise, and it won’t solve itself.”
Dartmouth’s President @sianbeilock diagnoses academia’s problems and shares the solutions her institution is implementing. pic.twitter.com/keHh5i0OPS
— Heterodox Academy (@HdxAcademy) January 26, 2026
Beilock’s final assertion is “testing is important.” The first step in managing grade inflation is admitting students who are smart enough to do challenging work. Standardized testing is a good proxy for intelligence.
I’d urge any university president to heed Beilock’s advice. Including Beilock herself.
“Dartmouth was (and continues to be) one of the more discriminatory institutions I encountered in my research,” alleges Jacob Savage, who recently penned “The Lost Generation” for Compact Magazine. Savage’s viral article detailed widespread discrimination against white male millennials in journalism, academia, and Hollywood.
“Since Beilock took over in 2023, Dartmouth College has hired 51 assistant professors, of whom just four are white American men (7.8%),” Savage claims. Savage references Dartmouth’s Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship, which is currently seeking candidates in two departments.
The first is the Department of Art History, “with specialization in either of these two fields: 1. Trans-Pacific global exchanges between Polynesian/Melanesian cultures in Oceania, the Americas, Africa, or Europe; 2. Asian/American art history and its related diasporas from any chronological period that extends the category of Asian/American art and examines its historical depth and heterogeneity. For both of these fields, we will prioritize candidates whose work is informed by queer studies, transcultural approaches, and/or digital humanities methods.” (RELATED: Dartmouth Offers ‘Democratic Listening Circle,’ Psychological Counseling Following Harris Loss)
Then, the Department of Classics, “with specialization in any of these fields: Comparative slavery studies in ancient cultures broadly defined (e.g. Egypt, Mesopotamia, China); Queer studies; Disability studies; Critical reception studies (e.g. Africana receptions, Luso-Hispanic, Asian/Asian-American). For all of these fields, we will prioritize candidates whose research is informed by digital humanities methods.”
And Dartmouth’s social media team doesn’t seem to be totally aligned with Beilock’s vision for the school.
Beilock’s tenure as Dartmouth president began June 12, 2023. On June 21, 2023, Dartmouth celebrated “Shontay Delalue, our senior vice president and senior diversity officer, for graciously hosting the community, and to the [Institutional Diversity & Equity] staff for organizing Monday’s Juneteenth celebration,” including a photo of Beilock at the celebration.
Thank you to Shontay Delalue, our senior vice president and senior diversity officer, for graciously hosting the community, and to the IDE staff for organizing Monday’s Juneteenth celebration. pic.twitter.com/Jwawg4GnwF
— Dartmouth 🌲 (@dartmouth) June 21, 2023
And Dartmouth bragged, in September 2025, about the building of “Shonda Rhimes Hall … the first Dartmouth building named for a woman and a Black alum.”
But even lip service to reform is a good sign. It suggests public dissatisfaction with higher education has finally made its way to the ears at the top of the ivory tower.
Follow Natalie Sandoval on X: @NatSandovalDC
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