Seizing higher education opportunity in Trump’s wake

MALAYSIA’S ambition to become a regional education hub is intricately linked to the global higher education system. A robust US higher education sector has historically been a wellspring of innovation, research, and talent. Any decline in this sector could reverberate through Malaysia’s own efforts to build a knowledge- based economy.

A second administration led by the newly elected Donald Trump is poised to reshape the US higher education landscape. With declining enrolments, soaring costs, and public discontent, the stage is set for radical reform. Trump has already hinted at his intentions, including overhauling accreditation to address perceived ideological bias, punishing universities for pro-Palestinian speech, and deporting protesting international students. His proposal for a national online university to combat “wokeness” is particularly audacious.