Leaning left
Campus Reform is researching the political climate at the nation’s top 100 universities to determine if the campuses lean in any one political direction — and which one.
The blog is currently reviewing the top 15 universities and is up to No. 5. Among them, the University of Pennsylvania is the only regional school on the list. Campus Reform data shows the No. 7 school leans left.
Six of the campus’s eight politcal groups are liberal and 92 percent of faculty donations made to the 2008 presidental election went to Democrat Barack Obama. More than $200,000 went to Obama, with not even $20,000 donated to Republican candidate John McCain.
The report also examines Penn’s liberal courses and campus policies, some of which are mildly conservative. Similarly sized University of Chicago (No. 9) has 19 left-leaning and eight right-leaning political groups, and its faculty gave more than $350,000 to Democrats in the 2008 election.
Feed the Feed: What does this mean for higher education in our region?
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.