Elise Stefanik, a Harvard graduate, is becoming the face of the Republican charge against elite universities, accusing those institutions of bias against conservatives.
Stefanik, who served in the Trump administration as director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, has emerged as a leading figure in the fight against Ivy League institutions that she say are increasingly catering to progressive causes.
The 32-year-old Republican’s most recent criticisms focused on Harvard University, which she alleged “is actively discriminating against Asian Americans in its admissions process, and bolstering progressives in the classroom.” She has also pushed back against other considerations — race, gender and sexual orientation — which often factor into admissions decisions.
Both her critics and supporters say Stefanik’s involvement in the issue has helped raise its visibility.
“When she speaks on this issue, people pay attention — she has a lot of influence,” said Ashley Berner, director of the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University.
Stefanik’s activism on the issue has also resonated with conservative supporters, who laud her for holding elite institutions accountable while placing conservative principles in the spotlight.
“She’s drawing a lot of attention to this issue,” said Tim Groseclose, a senior fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute. “That’s something conservatives want—to make sure that their views are heard.”
Stefanik, who has a law degree from Harvard and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, has called for greater transparency from universities and increased control from the government. She has also highlighted the role of wealthy donors in influencing higher education policy.
“We must challenge the status quo of Big Education,” she tweeted, while sharing a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that accused higher education of being “too big to fail.”
Stefanik’s crusade against “big education” could have implications for upcoming congressional elections, as she actively campaigns on the issue. Her high-profile stance has earned her comparisons to California Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, who has become an outspoken critic of technology companies for perceived bias against conservatives.
“With Stefanik,” Berner said, “you can see the beginnings of a similar strategy that Nunes has used.”
