Dartmouth Must Protect Intellectual Diversity

Demographic diversity has advanced, but without intellectual diversity, Dartmouth risks training students in conformity rather than debate.

By: John Murphy ‘10

September 1, 2025 -- During my recent 15-year reunion, I was heartened to hear President Beilock affirm the value of freedom of expression and intellectual diversity.  Her remarks were brief, but they struck me as essential.  A great college is not measured solely by the accomplishments of its graduates or the diversity of its student body, but by the seriousness with which it sustains an environment where ideas are freely exchanged.

While the College has rightfully pursued policies to broaden the variety of student backgrounds, these efforts have not extended to intellectual diversity across campus life.  One clear indicator is faculty and staff political contributions during the 2024 national cycle, with more than 99% going to one political party.  That imbalance may not surprise anyone familiar with higher education, but it should trouble us.

A college culture that reflects only one political or ideological current cannot sustain the breadth of debate and inquiry that higher education is meant to foster.  If all roads lead to the same conclusion, then students are deprived of the chance to test their assumptions, sharpen their reasoning, and grow through disagreement.

Ideological conformity has virtually eliminated conservative thought, but it has also targeted those critical of the war in Gaza.  Federal speech codes introduced under the Trump administration that classify criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism have further chilled debate.  The lesson is clear: this is not a problem of left or right, but of narrowing the sphere of acceptable speech until few are willing to test its boundaries.

This narrowing of discourse harms Dartmouth students most of all.  An academic environment that punishes opinions contrary to prevailing orthodoxy discourages them from weighing multiple sides of complex arguments.  Instead of confronting difficult issues honestly, students are nudged toward platitudes and slogans.  That is not education.  It is training in conformity.

Dartmouth has the opportunity to do better, and to lead.  If the College is serious about intellectual diversity, it must move from discussion to action.

First, the College should state plainly that intellectual diversity is a priority.  We measure racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity because we believe those matter. Dartmouth should hold itself equally accountable for creating a culture where a plurality of ideas can thrive.

Second, Dartmouth should actively sponsor forums where opposing views are presented side by side.  Too often, panels and lectures gather voices from within the same ideological camp, creating the appearance of discussion without its substance.  Students deserve better.  They deserve to see how thoughtful people argue from genuinely different premises.

Finally, the College should recognize that intellectual diversity matters in faculty hiring.  No institution will ever achieve perfect balance, but Dartmouth should seek faculty members who represent a wider spectrum of political, social, and philosophical commitments.  A student’s four years in Hanover should expose them to more than one worldview.

If Dartmouth fails to protect intellectual diversity, it risks becoming an echo chamber.  If it succeeds, it can lead the Ivy League in restoring conditions for genuine debate.  The choice is ours, and it will determine whether Dartmouth remains a place where truth is pursued through free inquiry or one where students learn only what they already know.