The article compares Columbia University's recent compliance with a political ultimatum to the decline of Smolny College in Russia. Smolny, once a bastion of independent thought and liberal arts education, succumbed to government control, losing its autonomy. The narrative traces Smolny's founding through a collaboration with Bard College and the initial hope for an academic partnership. The author's experience highlights the serious risks universities face when allowing external pressure to shape educational objectives, emphasizing the importance of maintaining independence in academic institutions as a safeguard against autocracy.
At Columbia, the capitulation to Trump's ultimatum reflects a larger pattern of academic institutions being coerced into compliance, neglecting their fundamental commitment to independent thought.
Smolny College's transformation into a controlled institution serves as a stark reminder of how autocrats can exploit vulnerabilities in academia to suppress divergence.
The partnership between Bard College and SPSU that led to Smolny College was initially a hopeful experiment in liberal education, now a cautionary tale of erosion in academic freedom.
Smolnyâs decline illustrates that once government intervention starts, it often escalates, leading to an environment where academic institutions lose their autonomy and purpose.
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