Dangers of transactionalism

In the current national environment, one based substantially if not completely on a transactional way of relating to the public, opposition, and former international partnerships, higher education has to hold the ground of individual, collective, and public transformation.

Kathy Johnson Bowles Inside Higher Education article warns that "The corporatization of education attracts people in direct opposition to many in the sector who believe education serves the public good. Education in the service of the public good isn't always for tangible, monetary effect. It is a pathway for self-actualization, knowledge development, independent thought and agency. It provides tools for communicating, problem-solving and betterment. Students are seen as individuals with innate value and potential for success, defined by their capacity, strengths and beliefs. Here, education is society's great leveler - egalitarian and democratic."

Bowles' critique includes critical insights that signal transactionality. These include cults of personality, invisible webs of communication, over-reliance on relationships over evidence, and the wielding of power and money. Transactional colleagues and the networks they create "benefit the self and the acquisition of power, prestige and money" yielding the ultimate public good that many have believed education was all about virtually impossible to achieve.

Holding on to a goal of something other than a transactional approach is tough. The 2026 survey of university presidents revealed a plethora of challenges that have to be navigated. With the flurry of Trump administration interventions eliminating DEI, restricting research funding, overhauling financial aid, challenging accreditation systems, and more, what's a president to do? The most important commitment is to avoid hunkering down, reducing deliberation, and spinning everything as okay. Facing the challenges of the Trump era requires authenticity, practicality, and keeping the end goal of advancing education central in all discussions.

The transactions around budget are some of the most difficult to resolve and it's clear that pressure on state funding will increase. The unfortunate part is that states are managing many competing priorities and in some cases higher education may be seen as a discretionary item that can be postponed.