ESG Comes to The University - Will The Ivory Tower Collapse?

 When the Puritans founded Harvard in 1636, the role of that institution of higher education was clear: It was to train clergy. Those founders of America took their religion seriously and didn't intend to run short of ministers in the new world.

Today, the purpose of The University is hardly clear. In the process of figuring that out, especially as it pertains to the big brandnames like Harvard, the Ivory Tower can come tumbling down.

Driving the scrutiny are issues associated with the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel. As Financial Times reports, the ambiguity is costing major universities millions in donations. Apollo CEO Marc Rowan set up that movement of warning about shutting down contributions and requiring leadership to resign if the institution isn't strong enough in its support of Israel. 

Essentially the question is: What is the public responsibility of The University. No, it appears it can't position and package itself as a neutral entity. And its claim that it has to honor free speech isn't going over well. But even before the current upheaval its special status in a society was being challenged. For example the US Supreme Court ended the affirmative action policies. And, has "Harvard-Educated" become less marketable? Give us a kid from the community college. Meanwhile, because of generative AI much of human Knowledge Work could go poof. 

Those who bore witness to the impacts of ESG (Environmental Social Governance) initiatives on business will pick up on how alike the two force fields are. 

The reach of ESG into business, ranging from operations affecting the environment to human-resources policies, happened so comprehensively and quickly that a prominent law firm saw the need to set up a specialized designated practice. That was Paul Weiss. It was the first-ever but soon enough other law firms also added such a practice and corporations developed their in-house versions. As you see from what Paul Weiss stated was its mission, the heat was on for business:

"Paul, Weiss’s Sustainability and Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Advisory Practice helps clients develop integrated ESG strategies that safeguard corporate reputation, mitigate risk and leverage opportunity. Our multi-disciplinary team helps clients sift through and understand the ramifications of ESG initiatives and improve oversight of the fragmented ecosystem of legal, compliance, operations, public relations, audit and data/analytics functions."

Likely the ESG trend has peaked. Even among powerful finance players there is a general backing off from ESG investing. Here is my article, published in O'Dwyer's Public Relations, on a post-ESG era. 

Once a controversy is set in motion, there is no predicting the extent of the disruption. It is not impossible that higher education per se could become a 2024 campaign issue. Does society want to continue to support what the Harvards and even state schools such as the Universities of Michigans have been up to? 

In my intuitive career coaching, no clients talk about picking up another degree. The buzz is about certification and using contacts to land apprenticeships for their children. 

Data or the gut for your careers and communications? Both of course. Complimentary consultation with intuitive coach, content-creator, and Tarot reader Jane Genova (text 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com).