Roger Ream, president of The Fund for American Studies, welcomed Jenna Robinson, president of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, to the Liberty + Leadership Podcast for a timely conversation on the state of American higher education and how to restore its core mission. Their discussion covered the rise of administrative bloat, the growth of DEI bureaucracies, and the decline of intellectual diversity on college campuses.
Robinson explained how the Martin Center works as a model for promoting academic freedom, viewpoint diversity, institutional neutrality, and transparency in public universities. She also highlighted reform efforts underway in North Carolina, noting how legislative and trustee oversight can strengthen accountability, and why both students and faculty ultimately benefit when universities refocus on academic excellence rather than ideology.