American universities are run like dictatorships

Two law professors, Daniel Hemel of NYU and David Pozen of Columbia, have written a forthcoming article in the *University of Pennsylvania Law Review* titled *In Search of University Democracy*, critiquing the lack of democratic governance in American universities. They argue that institutions like Harvard, despite their mission to educate future leaders, exclude students, faculty, and staff from decision-making, treating them more like subjects than citizens. Harvard’s governing body, the Harvard Corporation, is appointed without student input, and even alumni have limited influence, while public universities often see trustees appointed by state governors based on political loyalty. The authors compare U.S. universities unfavorably to global peers like Cambridge and Oxford, where faculty and academic staff hold ultimate legal authority, elect governing councils, and can veto decisions. In contrast, nearly 90% of trustees in U.S. universities lack professional experience in higher education, with power concentrated in external boards dominated by business and political elites. Even when some U.S. schools reserve seats for faculty or students, no institution allows these groups to control a majority of board seats or review board decisions. Public universities in states like Texas exemplify the problem, with governors like Greg Abbott appointing trustees who have donated heavily to their campaigns. The authors note that while some U.S. schools delegate academic decisions to faculty senates, legal authority remains with unelected boards. Their research found no American university where faculty, students, staff, and alumni collectively hold majority control over governance. International universities, such as Italy’s University of Bologna and Canada’s University of Toronto, demonstrate a different model, with elected governing boards representing stakeholders. The authors conclude that the U.S. higher education system’s governance structure undermines its democratic ideals, leaving students and faculty with no meaningful role in shaping their institutions’ future.