Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
For three-quarters of a century, America has supported academic life on some of the freest and most generous terms a democratic society has ever offered to intellectuals. The collapse of public trust in higher education is now forcing a renegotiation of that social contract. What should the terms of a new compact be? What should be the implicit understanding of the distinctive goods that universities have to offer and the respect which they should be granted by the public? What should be the explicit expectations to which universities are held by federal and state governments? And what should be the prerogatives that universities can rely upon enjoying?
This conference is organized around the following set of questions:
What do the academy and America owe each other?
What is the point of professors?
How should academics govern themselves?
What should the university’s role be in scientific enterprise?
How can the academic-social contract actually be rewritten?
We will bring together an audience of faculty leaders, public intellectuals, and policy experts to explore these questions and begin to develop concrete plans for common work.
0:00:00 - 0:12:34 Introduction
0:12:35 - 1:37:43 Panel I: “What do the academy and America owe each other?”
1:39:00 - 3:00:39 Panel II: “What is the point of professors?”
3:00:48 - 4:23:04 Panel III: “How should universities govern themselves?”
4:23:53 - 5:48:53 Panel IV: “What should the university’s role be in the scientific enterprise?”
5:52:49 - 7:14:33 Panel V: “How can the academic social contract actually be rewritten?”
7:11:52 - Outro
Submit questions to Lauren.Collins@aei.org
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AEI operates independently of any political party and does not take institutional positions on any issues. AEI scholars, fellows, and their guests frequently take positions on policy and other issues. When they do, they speak for themselves and not for AEI or its trustees or other scholars or employees.
More information on AEI research integrity can be found here: aei.org/about
#aei #news #politics #government #education #livestream #live
For three-quarters of a century, America has supported academic life on some of the freest and most generous terms a democratic society has ever offered to intellectuals. The collapse of public trust in higher education is now forcing a renegotiation of that social contract. What should the terms of a new compact be? What should be the implicit understanding of the distinctive goods that universities have to offer and the respect which they should be granted by the public? What should be the explicit expectations to which universities are held by federal and state governments? And what should be the prerogatives that universities can rely upon enjoying?
This conference is organized around the following set of questions:
What do the academy and America owe each other?
What is the point of professors?
How should academics govern themselves?
What should the university’s role be in scientific enterprise?
How can the academic-social contract actually be rewritten?
We will bring together an audience of faculty leaders, public intellectuals, and policy experts to explore these questions and begin to develop concrete plans for common work.
0:00:00 - 0:12:34 Introduction
0:12:35 - 1:37:43 Panel I: “What do the academy and America owe each other?”
1:39:00 - 3:00:39 Panel II: “What is the point of professors?”
3:00:48 - 4:23:04 Panel III: “How should universities govern themselves?”
4:23:53 - 5:48:53 Panel IV: “What should the university’s role be in the scientific enterprise?”
5:52:49 - 7:14:33 Panel V: “How can the academic social contract actually be rewritten?”
7:11:52 - Outro
Submit questions to Lauren.Collins@aei.org
Subscribe to AEI's YouTube Channel
youtube.com/user/AEIVideos?sub_confirmation=1
Like us on Facebook
facebook.com/AEIonline
Follow us on Twitter
twitter.com/AEI
For more information
aei.org
AEI operates independently of any political party and does not take institutional positions on any issues. AEI scholars, fellows, and their guests frequently take positions on policy and other issues. When they do, they speak for themselves and not for AEI or its trustees or other scholars or employees.
More information on AEI research integrity can be found here: aei.org/about
#aei #news #politics #government #education #livestream #live
