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A day after winning election to represent Pennsylvania’s 3rd congressional district in the House of Representatives, Chris Rabb ’92 appeared in a video on Instagram bashing Yale’s negotiations with the Trump administration.

Rabb, a Democrat and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is one of a host of alumni who have rebuked Yale’s decision to pursue a voluntary agreement with the Department of Justice over investigations into its admissions processes. In the Wednesday night video, which was posted from the accounts of several progressive organizations based on college campuses, Rabb noted Yale’s billions of dollars in endowment money and posed a question to his alma mater.

But beyond the difficult conversations this tragedy has encouraged me to have, I’ve been struck by how this story unfolded: through the determined reporting of student journalists, working primarily through the Sun’s editorial pages, who actively challenged their administration’s silence. The Sun’s efforts to unmask the defendants demonstrate how independent newspapers hold their institutions accountable — particularly amid declining trust in traditional media outlets.

Now, more than ever, student journalists have a responsibility to challenge institutional failure within their campus’ gilded walls. Despite both newspapers being independent from their universities, it is difficult to imagine our paper taking a firm position should a similar event happen on our own campus.

American higher education is at a consequential moment. New initiatives devoted to civic education, academic freedom and intellectual diversity are taking root at universities across the country, creating opportunities for philanthropists seeking to strengthen institutions central to American civic life.

Building on this work, the Roundtable recently welcomed Robert P. George as its distinguished fellow for American institutions. George is the McCormick professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University and founder and director of its James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. Micah Sagebiel, senior vice president at Philanthropy Roundtable, met with George to explore promising developments in higher education, where targeted philanthropic investment can make a real difference, the qualities reform-minded leaders need, and why honoring donors’ charitable intentions remains essential.