680. Can Universities Win Back Our Trust? | Freakonomics Radio

Training faculty in management and budgeting improves leadership because promotions often put scholars into administrative roles without skills, and learning to read P&Ls and manage complex teams turns strategy into executable budgets instead of trial-by-fire mistakes.

When institutions stick to their core mission of education and knowledge production and avoid taking partisan stances, people see their actions as principled, which helps rebuild public trust.

Requiring SAT or ACT scores improved admissions signal because test results, especially relative to a student's high-school average, reveal academic preparedness that grades and letters can miss and so uncover talent from less-resourced backgrounds.

High tuition, weak four-year graduation rates, and unequal outcomes erode public trust because they make institutions look like they are not delivering the promised value of education.

Shared, goal-directed campus experiences like teams or ensembles create tight rituals and social bonds, which turn into durable alumni loyalty and often lifelong support.

Chatbots can extend campus mental-health care because by tracking behavioral signals like sleep, exercise, and social contact and analyzing conversation patterns they can flag early anxiety or depression and route students to appropriate human help.

When leaders micromanage they replace delegation and frontline expertise, which slows decision-making and prevents teams from executing tasks efficiently.

Keeping open, nonpartisan conversations with policymakers reduces the risk of punitive action because steady dialogue and demonstrated responsible behavior build relationships that make officials less likely to investigate or cut funding.