Higher Education After Trump

The Trump administration has largely failed in its efforts to impose a new MAGA-inspired “compact” on higher education. That doesn’t mean, however, that a different kind of relationship between Washington and American colleges and universities isn’t needed, especially at a time when AI is challenging higher ed’s traditional business model.

In the Washington Monthly’s 2026 College Guide and Rankings issue, Kevin Carey of New America proposes a new federal plan to dramatically reduce tuition and improve educational quality at colleges and universities where the vast majority of students earn their degrees. And Harvard’s Paul LeBlanc, author of the new book Reclaiming Purpose: The University in an AI World, offers students advice on which colleges will best prepare them for such a world.

Join New America and the Washington Monthly virtually on September 28, 2026, at noon ET, for a conversation about the future of higher education, with video remarks by Gov. Andy Beshear on Berea College in his home state of Kentucky, the #1 school on the Washington Monthly’s Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollar ranking.