Conservatives Seize the Moment to Remake Higher Ed
Josh Moody
April 9, 2025
A Heritage Foundation event on Tuesday emphasized the need for reform in higher education. A Department of Education speaker touched on how Trump is forcing change.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—With the Trump administration taking special aim at higher education, conservative policymakers and college leaders are embracing the opportunity to force a cultural reset across academe.
At a forum Tuesday morning called “Reclaiming the Culture of American Higher Education,” the architects of Project 2025, an official from the U.S. Department of Education and four college presidents cast the sector as ripe for reform. The event offered insights into how conservative thinkers operating the levers of power at the Education Department view the current state of higher education and the need for change.
“We’re reclaiming institutions, we’re reclaiming the culture broadly, we’re certainly reclaiming policy,” Kevin Roberts, Heritage Foundation president and Project 2025 mastermind, said in opening remarks. He praised the Trump administration as a valuable partner in driving reform.
