This article originally appeared in the National Post. Below is an excerpt from the article.
By Peter MacKinnon, August 11, 2026
There is clear and convincing evidence of declining trust in western universities, and restoring it requires that their leaders ask a fundamental question: what does trust require of us? In administration, teaching and research, recruitment and retention, protecting our campuses and all who come lawfully to them — what does trust require? As places of free inquiry, are they built on trust?
Trust is the confidence that policies and practices reflect reasons why universities exist and receive wide public support. It does not end precipitously; it erodes over time because of repeated failures to earn and maintain this confidence. There are many examples of where this has happened in the modern era.
The latest example is that of Cambridge professor Jason Arday, a Black professor of the sociology of education. With a PhD from Liverpool’s John Moores University, he made claims about his history, mental and physical struggles, athleticism and philanthropy that have been widely celebrated in the media and at Cambridge. They have also been contested, and have been joined by an accusation of plagiarism in his PhD thesis.
Peter MacKinnon is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a King’s Counsel, and a former president of three universities.
