Latitudes: In America, higher education has become a political flashpoint. Around the world, too.

Also, a critic of Confucius Institutes says that China acts “with impunity” on U.S. campuses. ADVERTISEMENT [Latitudes Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. Backlash against higher education is a “global phenomenon” You might’ve heard: There’s a presidential election coming up. For The Chronicle’s [U.S. election-issue cover story]( I took a look at the increasingly contentious and polarized debate around higher education. As one source told me, whether it’s tuition costs or the culture wars, “everyone can find a reason to be pissed off” at colleges. But the politicalization of higher ed is far from uniquely American. In fact, the United States is late to the party, said Eve Darian-Smith, chair of global and international studies at the University of California at Irvine. Darian-Smith [studies the backlash against higher education]( by conservative governments and groups around the world. “We’re playing catch-up on a global attack,” she told me. “The U.S. is sort of the last to wake up to what is a global phenomenon.” Bradford Vivian, a communications professor at Pennsylvania State University, said a “conscious campaign” against higher education started earlier in countries like Brazil, [China]( [Hungary]( and [Russia](. Criticism of college is a global contagion, and detractors from around the world are linked, said Vivian, author of [Campus Misinformation: The Real Threat to Free Speech in American Higher Education](. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, has praised Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary, who has cracked down on civil society and tried to shut down a prominent liberal-arts institution, [Central European University](. When it comes to dealing with campus dissent, Vance [has said]( Orbán has made “some smart decisions there that we could learn from in the United States.” Christopher Rufo, the right-wing campus provocateur, has been a visiting fellow at the Orbán-affiliated Danube Institute, which advocates “conservative and national values and thinking.” What is it about higher education? Darian-Smith and others make the point that colleges play multiple roles in society: They educate the next generation. They are sources of expertise. The ideas they generate often frame how the public sees the world. Vivian argues that the pluralism and dissent on college campuses can seem unsettling to authoritarian, or authoritarian-lite, leaders. “Universities aren’t perfectly democratic but they are more so” than many institutions, Vivian said, noting that, in the United States and many countries, the share of women and students who are underrepresented minorities has increased. “Higher education represents multicultural democracy, and there’s pushback to multicultural democracy.” Of course, in the United States, outright antagonism from the right can eclipse the fact that Democrats too increasingly find fault with college. [Read more]( about the two parties’ different diagnoses of what ails higher ed and, if elected, how they might remedy it. As always, nonsubscribers who [register]( for a free Chronicle account can read two articles a month. Your readership supports our journalism. ADVERTISEMENT Upcoming Workshop [The Chronicle's Administrative Leadership Institute | October 2024] Join us in October for a two-day virtual workshop that will offer administrative staff leaders the opportunity to build their capacity for collaboration, understand their role in shared governance, and gain insights on how to more effectively lead their teams. [Learn more and register!]( “A benign appearance but a real problem” As part of my recent reporting, I also spoke with Peter W. Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars. If NAS sounds familiar to you — well, it should: The organization, which has long criticized colleges for promoting liberal political agendas, has sounded an alarm about Chinese influence on American campuses, in particular about [Confucius Institutes](. “Relentless” is Wood’s own characterization of his group’s efforts against the Chinese-funded language and cultural centers. He and other critics have argued that the institutes are used for propaganda purposes by the Chinese government and that they could be used to collect intelligence, including proprietary information and intellectual property. “They have a benign appearance but are a real problem,” Wood said. Today, Confucius Institutes have all but disappeared from American colleges, but Wood said NAS has other concerns about higher education’s China ties. They include foreign grants and contracts to American colleges and “agents of China who [harass Chinese students]( studying in the United States, “and do so with impunity,” he said. [Here’s more about geopolitics and the American campus](. From the Chronicle Store [The Future of Graduate Education - The Chronicle Store]( [The Future of Graduate Education]( Graduate education has enjoyed a jump in enrollment over the past five years, but it faces a host of challenges. [Order this report]( for insights on the opportunities and pitfalls that graduate-program administrators must navigate. Around the globe Chinese universities are suspending or canceling almost 100 degree programs to better align with government higher-education reforms. The field with the largest share of cuts may come as a surprise: [engineering](. Restarting the China Initiative, the federal inquiry into academic ties with China, would “only increase the self-inflicted damage to U.S. national-security interests,” a former FBI special agent [writes](. China’s first lady, Peng Liyuan, told a visiting group of American students in Beijing that it was important to have more student exchanges between China and the United States to nurture a “[tree of friendship]( Despite deep concerns about relations between the United States and China, a survey of Chinese Americans found that four of five believe that the two countries can still [cooperate on exchange programs](. The U.S. ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, said there should be more opportunities for American students to [study in India](. Israeli universities are increasingly [isolated]( as international-research collaboration has dipped and foreign-student numbers have declined since the start of the war with Hamas. Universities in Central and Eastern Europe are particularly at risk from [brain drain]( according to a survey by the European University Association. Interference from funding agencies like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund is undercutting [Nigeria’s higher-education system]( a university administrator charged. “Should we reserve more spots for American citizens at our best universities? Does turning American universities into global educational centers undermine its critical function to inculcate American values in our future American elite?” asks this [provocative podcast](. I’m traveling this week but always welcome your feedback and ideas for future reporting. Drop me a line at karin.fischer@chronicle.comor connect with me on [X]( or [LinkedIn](. If you like this newsletter, please share it with colleagues and friends. They can [sign up here](. ADVERTISEMENT Career Resources [Perfecting the Application] [Read the October collection]( for advice on perfecting the application. Learn how to understand a faculty job ad, tips for applying to community colleges, and more! Job Opportunities [Search jobs on The Chronicle job board]( [Find Your Next Role Today]( Whether you are actively or passively searching for your next career opportunity, The Chronicle is here to support you throughout your job search. Get started now by [exploring 30,000+ openings]( or [signing up for job alerts](. Read Our Other Newsletters [Race on Campus]( | [The Review]( | [Teaching]( | [Your Career]( | [Weekly Briefing]( | [The Edge]( Newsletter Feedback [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. 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