Can academia regain the public's trust?

Public confidence in higher education has hit its “lowest level ever.” Only 36 percent of Americans have “a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in higher education,” down from 57 percent in 2015.

Majorities of Democrats and Republicans believe higher education is heading in the wrong direction. The decline is sharpest among Republicans, with only 31 percent of them thinking colleges and universities have a positive impact on the nation, down from 58 percent in 2010.

Topping...