National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards

In an open letter to all college and university presidents, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced her desire for every postsecondary institution in the United States “to publish, by the end of 2026, a clear public statement outlining its commitment to implementing reforms that will help restore public trust in higher education.” To help guide institutions in this endeavor, the Secretary posed seven questions to institutions of higher education to ponder as they consider such public statements.

Notably, this initiative is voluntary as it does not establish a new federal requirement or prescribe a single institutional response which matters for how institutions choose to engage. It allows colleges and universities to consider these questions through their own governance processes and to respond - or determine whether a response is appropriate - in ways that reflect their individual missions, values, and responsibilities to students. Institutions considering a response may find it useful to route the seven questions through existing governance and mission-review processes rather than treating them as a compliance exercise.

Constructive engagement must respect institutional autonomy, academic freedom, and shared governance. These principles, along with the variety of missions across American higher education, have long been among our sector’s greatest strengths. Private nonprofit colleges and universities can take this opportunity to tout the value of a degree in higher education, the economic impact institutions provide to their communities and the workforce pipeline they support for local, state and regional high-demand jobs.

For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Giesecke