Donald Trump’s former Chief of Staff told the greats (and those wishing to hang out in close proximity to the greats) of Australian HE that climate research programs could be saved, just so long as they are not given that name.
In a wide-ranging interview that left the Universities Australia conference attendees well briefed on conservative perspectives on geopolitics, but which touched very little on the pressing issues facing higher education institutions in the US, Mick Mulvaney was asked at one point about areas under attack from the Trump administration including DEI and climate change prevention.
Mr Mulvaney said climate programs could potentially survive, but would have to be communicated differently.
“You can have a program that is good on the climate but that is not your selling piece, it doesn’t register with the person you are selling to, it doesn’t necessarily change what we are doing, but the way you are selling it,” Mr Mulvaney said.
“One of the reasons we saw the change in my country is the pendulum pushed too far to one side. You have to put your finger on when you are pushing a little too hard on meritocracy.”
At the conclusion of the interview, Mr Mulvaney said campuses allowing Gaza-related violence to occur on campus were out of touch.
“There are some universities that have lost their way where its not ok to be Jewish,” he said.
“I thought anti-semitism was something that was gone, that we had moved beyond but apparently we have not.
“A lot of people in my country didn’t realise until after oct 7 how far to the left our universities had gone.”
