679. Why Does Vanderbilt Keep Winning?
6/26/20261 hr 4 min
It’s a hard time to run a university: public trust is low, political pressure is high, and finances are fragile. But Daniel Diermeier, who trained as a political scientist, has Vanderbilt humming. How? He says the key is choosing magnets over wedges.
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SOURCES:
- Daniel Diermeier, chancellor of Vanderbilt University.
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RESOURCES:
- "Higher Ed’s New Crisis Managers," by Lee Gardner (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2026).
- "Professors Need to Diversify What They Teach," by Jon Shields, Yuval Avnur, and Stephanie Muravchik (Persuasion, 2025).
- "A Call for Constructive Engagement," (American Association of Colleges and Universities, 2025).
- "2020 Statement on Anthropology and Human Rights," (American Anthropological Association, 2020).
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander (2010).
- "Kalven Committee: Report on the University’s Role in Political and Social Action," (The University of Chicago, 1967).
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EXTRAS:
- Sign up here to pre-screen our new video show.
- "'A Low Moment in Higher Education,'" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
- "'If We’re All in It for Ourselves, Who Are We?'" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
- "Do Boycotts Work?" by Freakonomics Radio (2016).
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsStephen Dubner· Host0:00
[jingle] Hey there. It's Stephen Dubner. Before today's episode, a quick announcement. We are about to launch a new project, a video show that we've been working on for a while. You could think of it as an indie TV talk show on YouTube. We are very excited about it, and we're looking for Freakonomics Radio listeners who want to pre-screen episodes and share their feedback. We will select 100 people to take an early look. If you are interested in being an extension of our production crew, please go to the link in the show notes and sign up. We will have a lot more to say very soon about this new show. And now here is today's episode of Freakonomics Radio. [music] Right now is a hard time to lead just about any institution, and leading a university is particularly hard. You've got your campus protests, your financial pressures, including federal funding cuts. You've got legal pressure from the Trump administration, which contends that universities have become captured by left-wing ideologies. And it's not like the American people are rushing to support you. According to Gallup surveys, public trust in higher education is near a historic low. A lot of university leaders have crumbled under all this pressure. Many have been pushed out. But some campus leaders are, let's put it bluntly, they're winning. Over the next two episodes, we will talk to two of these winners. First up- My name is Daniel Diermeier.
Daniel Diermeier· Guest1:27
I'm the chancellor of Vanderbilt University.
Stephen Dubner· Host1:29
Vanderbilt