Researcher Nathan Honeycutt says the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's (FIRE) recent survey shows that the number of conservatives in higher education is consistently dwindling, with nearly half of faculty self-censoring for fear of retribution if they speak their minds.
He finds it especially problematic that only 20% of university faculty say a conservative would fit well in their departments.
"If the purpose of higher education is for students to be exposed to different points of view, to learn about different ideas and perspectives and just to be informed citizens, then it is a disservice to higher education for there to be fewer conservatives," Honeycutt submits.
He hopes President-elect Donald Trump, who has voiced a desire to overhaul higher education and rein in skyrocketing tuition costs, can make a difference.
"Hopefully the Trump administration will be able to do something to foster dialogue and help create campus environments where people can speak up and study topics that they need to and teach on what they're supposed to be teaching," the researcher says.
The FIRE survey involved more than 6,200 respondents at 55 major colleges and universities over a three-month period.
