U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon addressed the state of leadership in higher education during her remarks at Hillsdale College on September 8, 2025. In her speech, McMahon contrasted the abundance of college administrators with what she described as a shortage of true leaders within American colleges and universities.
"St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians that 'they had ten thousand teachers, but not many fathers.' Plenty of would-be authorities with their own opinions, but few mentors and leaders who would take responsibility for their personal growth. America’s colleges and universities, I think, are facing a similar shortage today," McMahon said.
She noted the growth in administrative roles focused on areas such as diversity, compliance, and liaison work while questioning their visibility and accountability: "Americans don’t know their names, their full job descriptions, their biases, or their qualifications. Parents don’t ask to see the administrative staff page when they’re checking out colleges. But we’ve handed them governance of our entire postsecondary system."
McMahon praised institutions like Hillsdale College for maintaining traditions she views as central to higher learning: "Hillsdale College—and a few other proud institutions swimming against the current—prove that leaders can be more than figureheads."
According to McMahon, declining public trust is an issue confronting higher education nationwide. She referenced Gallup approval ratings indicating that confidence in higher education among Americans has dropped from over two thirds to one third.
"We should ask our Higher Education leaders why that might be," she stated.
McMahon connected these trends to broader dissatisfaction among American families and cited President Donald Trump’s election as reflecting this sentiment: "I’m standing here today as the Secretary of Education in part because American families are fed up with the broken college system that delivers disillusionment for millions of students. They elected Donald Trump as President because he promised to fix it."
She discussed changes occurring across employment sectors where degree requirements are being relaxed and alternative pathways such as vocational training are gaining traction.
McMahon outlined four recommendations for university leaders:
1) Prioritize personal growth.
2) Seek and serve the truth.
3) Preserve and defend civilization.
4) Model intellectual leadership and produce future thinkers and leaders.
She emphasized rigorous admissions standards, challenging coursework linked to practical outcomes, support for free inquiry over censorship on campus, commitment to civic education including American history and values, protection against undue foreign influence or ideological activism on campuses, and greater engagement by university presidents in national discourse.
McMahon concluded by urging college leaders to emulate successful models like Hillsdale College: "The Higher Education system in this country has fallen far, and it will not be fixed overnight. The federal government can only do so much. But if enough leaders take the initiative to make their institutions a little more like Hillsdale, we will be heading in the right direction."
