The Relevance of Institutional Neutrality

Recently, especially after George Floyd’s death and during the Israel-Hamas war, faculty, and students increasingly came to expect university leaders to speak about major cultural and political issues outside of their school’s core mission. It was not clear why such statements were believed to be necessary. What expertise did university leaders have simply by dint of their position? And why did students and faculty need to hear their leaders agree with their views? Such questions almost seem quaint now when higher education writ large is under attack but are still worth exploring.