This statement would be easier to take seriously if it weren’t contradicted by how universities actually operate.
At Duke, for example, an active Democratic governor — J.B. Pritzker — sits on the board with no Republican counterpart whatsoever. That’s a political institution by any reasonable definition.
Beyond politics, universities function as corporations. They act like corporations, prioritize revenue like corporations, and defend themselves like corporations. The Dartmouth president has openly said they lose money when they take grants — an admission that the entire system is built on grifting taxpayer funds.
So when presidents claim they’re not political and not advocacy organizations, it’s pure dissembling. They want the moral authority of being above the fray and the financial privileges of being tax-exempt, while operating with the power, legal infrastructure, and lobbying footprint of major corporations.