Leaders Defending American Higher Education

How should college and university leaders respond to the intensifying threats to American higher education? As the second Trump administration prepares to take office, presidents face difficult choices as they seek to remain non-partisan in the face of increasing political interference, bolstered by growing distrust of higher education. DEI initiatives, accreditation, and federal funding are just a few areas where universities are likely to face heightened political scrutiny.

This webinar will feature three higher education leaders who have spoken out in defense of American higher education: Dr. Michael Gavin of Delta College, Dr. Patricia A. McGuire of Trinity Washington University, and Dr. Michael S. Roth of Wesleyan University. They will discuss their approach to leadership in these times and what they believe college and university leaders should contribute to the broader action needed to protect American higher education.

Speakers:

Michael H. Gavin became the fifth president of Delta College in 2021. He joined Delta with more than 20 years of experience at large community colleges and national recognition for his administrative leadership which focused on academic excellence and equity. Dr. Gavin previously held the position of Vice President of Learning at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland. He also worked as a tenured professor of English at Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) before accepting the role as the senior academic administrator at PGCC. In this role, he led efforts to align courses, general education and programs with a variety of high-impact practices focused on student success and completion. Dr. Gavin is the author of two books. The most recent, “The New White Nationalism in Politics and Higher Education” was released in 2020 and is in paperback as of spring 2023. He leads a national coalition of college presidents and higher education leaders in resisting anti-DEI legislation called Education for All.

Patricia A. McGuire has been president of Trinity since 1989. Previously, she was the assistant dean for development and external affairs at Georgetown University Law Center where she was also an adjunct professor of law. She began her career after law school as the project director for the Street Law clinical program at Georgetown. President McGuire serves on a number of boards including the Consortium of Universities, Cafritz Foundation, Greater Washington Board of Trade and the Ameritas Holding Company. In 2016, the TIAA Institute honored President McGuire with the Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence. In 2015 President McGuire received the Carnegie Award for Academic Leadership from the Carnegie Corporation. In 2012 she received the Henry Paley Award from the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. In 2010 she received the Alexander Meiklejohn Award for Academic Freedom from the American Association of University Professors. She holds honorary degrees from several universities including Georgetown, Howard, Chatham, Emmanuel, Saint Michael’s, Liverpool Hope and others. She earned her law degree at Georgetown and her baccalaureate degree cum laude at Trinity.

Michael S. Roth ’78 became the 16th president of Wesleyan University in 2007. He has overseen the launch of academic programs at Wesleyan such as the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life and the Shapiro Center for Writing, as well as five new interdisciplinary colleges emphasizing research and cohort building in the areas of the environment, film, East Asian studies, integrative sciences, and design and engineering. Roth has undertaken a number of initiatives that have made a Wesleyan education more affordable for many and more accessible to students from under-represented groups. An intellectual historian, Roth has published several books centered on how people make sense of the past. Since returning to Wesleyan, he has published three books (all with Yale University Press) bearing on liberal education, the most recent being “The Student, A Short History” (2023). His “Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters” (2014) was recognized with the Association of American Colleges & Universities’ Frederic W. Ness award for a book that best illuminates the goals and practices of a contemporary liberal education. Roth’s 2019 book, “Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist’s Approach to Inclusion, Free Speech, and Political Correctness,” addresses some of the most contentious issues in American higher education, including affirmative action, safe spaces, and questions of free speech.