Episode 972: Congresswoman Elise Stefanik on “Poisoned Ivies”

Newt talks with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21st), Chairwoman of the House Republican Leadership, about her new book, “Poisoned Ivies: The Inside Account of the Academic and Moral Rot at America’s Elite Universities.” They discuss how America’s elite universities, once proud symbols of academic excellence, have become centers of far-left indoctrination and division. Stefanik traces her own political and professional trajectory, from volunteering for the New York Republican State Committee at age 14 and ultimately running as a 28-year-old underdog who has become a long-serving New York Republican in Congress. Drawing on her experience as a Harvard alumna, Stefanik argues that many elite universities have shifted from liberal leaning but pluralistic to ideologically lopsided, with a dramatic imbalance between Democratic and Republican faculty and a growing culture of political indoctrination over academic rigor. Stefanik’s participation in the hearing with university presidents was a historic turning point in the national debate over higher education. She concludes by expressing her hope, both as a policymaker and as a parent, that this earthquake in public awareness will help restore American universities to global excellence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.