Pixabay: Yale University
For generations, America’s Ivy League universities were considered the epitome of American excellence. However, recent developments have raised concerns about their direction. As anti-Israel protests spread across college campuses, it showed the world what our nation’s most prestigious universities have turned into.
Former Ivy League graduate and FOX & Friends host Pete Hegseth sheds light on this issue in his documentary Poison Ivy, which exposes the over one-hundred-year decline of our nation’s leading universities and reveals how they have become hotbeds for terrorist sympathizers, Marxists, and foreign enemies. The documentary reveals how colleges became what they are today and highlights several key points:
Key Points
- Radicalization: Ivy League schools have become breeding grounds for radical ideologies. Hegseth interviews commentators who discuss how these institutions have shifted over time, with some classes even being taught by Marxists.
- Foreign Influence: Ivy Leagues eagerly accept foreign funding, often with strings attached. Whether it’s from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or China, these universities sometimes compromise their integrity to maintain financial support.
- Parental Perception: Despite the radicalization, many parents and students still view attending Ivy League schools as a gateway to an “elite” life. The allure of prestigious education remains strong, even as concerns grow.
As a side note, the Heritage Foundation has pointed out that the federal government provides enormous taxpayer subsidies to these universities. This provides university administrators with slush funds to indulge ideological pet projects, such as building larger DEI bureaucracies. So-called “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” has greatly contributed to the campus extremism and radicalism that has shocked much of the country. And as previous research has demonstrated, DEI exacerbates antisemitism.
In summary, the Ivy League’s reputation has been tarnished by ideological shifts, foreign influence, and financial complexities. Hegseth’s documentary addresses these issues, prompting critical discussions about the future of higher education in the United States.
Action Items
Parents should take a stand and refuse to let their high school-aged kids apply to woke universities that want to influence the thought processes of their students – basically teaching them what to think instead of how to think. Hegseth said it’s important to look into religious schools as well as emerging alternatives, like Bari Weiss’ University of Austin and the university that Elon Musk is planning to open.
There is also a sliver of hope at Hegseth’s alma mater, Princeton, where his mentor and Professor Robert P. George, a conservative Christian and constitutional scholar, runs the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.
“That center exists to talk about the constitution and why America is a good country,” Hegseth said. “It took a lot of resistance from faculty, but overtime, Professor George has grown the center. If you’re a Jew or a patriot and you get into Princeton, you have a place to go, where professors speak freely and you won’t feel like you’re indoctrinated in groupthink.”
Hegseth hopes that viewers watch Poison Ivy and evaluate their educational choices for their children and what having Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, Yale or another Ivy League school on a resume should communicate to future employers.
“By 2035, I want employers to see one of these resumes and ask, ‘Are you a Marxist?’” he said. “But if a graduate went to Bari Weiss’ or Elon Musk’s university, or a classical Christian university, they’ll say, ‘You must work hard and think about humanity and our place in life and truth – all things these universities have long since abandoned. That’s what I hope the response will be.”
Peter Hegseth’s new documentary, Poison Ivy, is streaming on Fox Nation.
