U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has asked university presidents and boards across the country to respond to a series of core questions about higher education. Now, in response, a committee of WashU faculty members will offer perspectives to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin as that work gets underway.
In her “Call to Action” letter Aug. 3, the secretary focused on rebuilding trust in higher education and encouraged each university to respond in its own way by the end of 2026.
As part of an initial process, at the chancellor’s request, WashU Faculty Senate Council chair Tonya Edmond and Provost Mark West have organized and will lead a group of faculty members to offer comments and views regarding that letter. While the committee isn’t charged with drafting WashU’s response, members will contribute insights and perspectives that will help inform it.
“Faculty perspectives are essential as our mission and values are expressed every day through their teaching, research, patient care and service,” said West. “The insights of this committee will strengthen our ability to articulate who we are as a university and what we aspire to achieve.”
In her letter, the secretary urged colleges and universities to consider and address several factors, among them free speech and open inquiry; transparency and merit in admissions; affordability; and academic standards in the age of artificial intelligence.
Committee members include faculty from across the WashU community. In addition to West and Edmond, who will serve as co-chairs, the committee members are:
- Heather Corcoran, Sam Fox School
- Adrienne Davis, WashU Law
- Gerald Early, Arts & Sciences
- Marcus Foston, McKelvey Engineering
- Andrew Knight, Olin Business School and Bauer Leaders Academy
- Dwight McBride, Arts & Sciences
- Steve Mennerick, WashU Medicine
- Cynthia Rogers, WashU Medicine
- Abram Van Engen, Arts & Sciences
“The inclusion of faculty perspectives in our response is essential given the significance of this moment in higher education,” said Edmond, who is also the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor in Social Work at the Brown School. “I am grateful to my faculty colleagues who have agreed to serve on this committee and look forward to working with them to make substantive recommendations to Chancellor Martin.”
