Embedded The Harvard Plan: The Endless Frontier
Dec 1, 2025
In this discussion, May Mailman, a former White House senior policy strategist, shares insights into the Trump administration's proposed university compact. She explains how this compact shifts the balance of power in university-government relationships. Mailman also defends the model's aim to promote viewpoint diversity while addressing claims of authoritarianism. The conversation further explores the implications of political pressures on academia and contrasts historical partnerships in scientific research with today's challenges.
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Litigation Replaced Grandstanding
- University presidents are cautious about public grandstanding but have pursued litigation as collective defense.
- The Association of American Universities filed multiple lawsuits — a coordinated legal response unseen previously.
Mizzou's Reactor Makes Cancer Drugs
- The University of Missouri's reactor produces radioisotopes used globally for cancer treatments on a tight schedule.
- MER's output turns nuclear byproducts into medicines shipped to hospitals worldwide next week.
President Choi's Mar‑a‑Lago Visit
- Mizzou president Moon Choi visited Mar-a-Lago to lobby for tax credits and federal support for a new reactor.
- He credits those conversations with helping restore some canceled research grants for the university.
