University leaders weigh up how to respond to Trump

Campus leaders face intense scrutiny for what they say or don’t say in this tense post-election period. Some messages that go over well on campus receive considerable criticism as they spread, writes Rick Seltzer for Inside Higher Ed.

As student concerns and campus protests play out in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, college and university presidents grapple with the question of whether they should weigh in – and what they should say. Take, for example, Columbia University President Lee C Bollinger, who issued a statement the morning after the election calling for freedom of thought, tolerance and reason before later publicly denouncing Trump at an awards dinner.

Some presidents chose to speak quickly and forcefully, attacking perceived falsehoods from the campaign and assuring students feeling anxiety in the wake of an election that many see as laying bare bigotry, white supremacy and xenophobia in the United States. Others waited to speak or tried to address broad principles.
Full report on the Inside Higher Ed site