There are various sources of this discontent. First, the labor structure of universities has been transformed from one defined by stable employment to one defined by gig work. A 2023 survey by the American Association of University Professors revealed that almost 70 percent of all US faculty held “contingent”—that is, part-time or adjunct—positions, up from 47 percent in 1987. Then there are the millions of former students who are struggling to pay back the debt they incurred while attending college or graduate school. As of early 2026, the total student-loan debt held by those educated at US universities was $1.833 trillion, with the “average public university student” borrowing $31,960 to get their degree. Finally, universities have become key sites in our never-ending culture war, which has made campuses hostile places for faculty and students, with the general public increasingly viewing them with suspicion. Above: Columbia University