I’m one of the few out conservatives teaching at an Ivy League university. Here’s some insight for all conservative parents like
@RCamposDuffy @SecDuffy who are understandably apprehensive about sending their kids to overwhelmingly progressive institutions.
First, the fact that you are even thinking about how ideological lopsidedness affects quality of teaching and education (it absolutely does) means you are ahead of the curve. The mindset of most on the left is that there’s nothing wrong with our nation’s top schools.
Second, for the past two years straight I’ve been conducting research on the impact of (near) uniformity of thought in our nation’s most prestigious schools. One of the big takeaways is conservative students are flourishing and liberal students are getting short shrift (you can see a summary of this sub-finding in my 2024
@TheAtlantic article:
theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv…). Because they are constantly challenged on their views, forced to articulate and defend them, and learn the other side, conservatives become extraordinarily adept critical thinkers. But there are also other benefits—conservative students at liberal schools also tend to gravitate to real (not online) friendships, build resilience, and learn not to sweat the small stuff. These are hugely valuable skills and attributes.
@DavidAFrench makes a similar argument in his latest
@nytopinion piece.
Third, yes, even at elite universities which claim to be committed to freedom of thought, your kids will absolutely encounter activist professors who seek to indoctrinate students. But conservative students are the least likely in my experience to succumb to this. What’s more likely is they will hear some crazy ideas, think to themselves “Why do I disagree with that? Why is it wrong?” and use the exposure to strengthen and shore up their own beliefs w/ evidence. It’s an invaluable cognitive exercise I wish more students had.
It’s not easy to be in the ideological minority but it’s a great education in the purest sense. Take some comfort, and a lot of pride in that.