The authors describe the roles of students, faculty, administrators, trustees, and donors, attributing their actions — or inaction — to, mostly, radical relativism and a 1960’s support of whoever is perceived as the underdog (faculty), to lack of information and insecure Jewish commitment (most Jewish students), to a meek desire to avoid controversy (administrators), and to acceptance of professorial dominance in the content of the university curriculum and extracurricular program (trustees, donors, and political leaders).
The authors urge administrators, trustees, and political leaders to take a more active role in determining what happens on campus. They do not consider that a restructuring of roles in American university life is highly unlikely and, if it were to take place, could well be a double-edged sword. What is missing in the book is exploration of how to rebuild the academic community’s understanding that support of Israel is, in fact, consonant with the basic ideals that most university people accept and how to provide Jewish students more generally with the background and commitment that will predispose and enable them to defend their own interests. The Uncivil University has dramatically called attention to a serious problem. Now we need to think through and develop appropriate and effective long-range responses.
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