Harvard University’s main student newspaper has written an editorial calling on the school to expand ideological diversity among its staff by hiring more conservatives.
According to the recent piece in the Crimson, the editorial board has called on Harvard administrators to take action to address the severe lack of conservative professors on campus, arguing that the school’s current political makeup is severely out of touch with America.
“Startlingly, just around 1.5 percent of respondents to The Crimson news staff’s survey of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences identify as conservative or very conservative, compared to 83.2 percent who identify as liberal or very liberal,” the piece reads.
The editors argue that such a lack of ideological diversity is ultimately detrimental to the university itself, by both creating an environment that is perceived as unwelcoming to conservatives, as well as helping to fuel the declining trust that Americans have in the higher education system, which will ultimately hurt student enrollment.
“This stark divide has harmful effects on the University’s ability to train our nation’s leaders, and it risks alienating current and potential conservative students,” the editors write. “It has also likely contributed to the declining trust of Americans in higher education, which has deleterious effects.”
Historically regarded as a beacon of liberal thought, Harvard has prioritized addressing issues of ideological diversity following the 2016 elections, as well as made numerous efforts of outreach among parts of America with whom they have been perceived as having a disconnect.
In February, the National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement at Harvard’s Institute of Politics hosted a town hall-style symposium among students of various different political viewpoints from 29 universities across the country, in order to gain a better understanding of political issues facing young Americans.
According to the editors, while much work remains to be done, Harvard has a duty to prioritize hiring professors for all political viewpoints, in order to protect free and open debate on campus.
“We believe the University must emphasize hiring professors with diverse beliefs and backgrounds who can challenge prevailing campus ideas through tough ideological conversations,” the editors write.
