California’s university system is in trouble. It needs talented minds like Scott Galloway’s to fix it.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Galloway to the UC Board of Regents on July 22. That marks a new dawn for a UC system under pressure.
[Related: Gov. Gavin Newsom appoints podcaster Scott Galloway to UC Board of Regents]
Galloway is a New York University professor and entrepreneur whose podcast has over 800,000 subscribers on YouTube. He regularly shares his political takes and life advice with his hundreds of thousands of followers and stands out among the UC Board of Regents’ current members, who have less of a public persona.
For one, he is not afraid to call out the United States’ corrupt higher education system – which he defines as prioritizing money and prestige over public service – while also noting the crucial role it played in his upbringing. Galloway’s approach is precisely what the UC needs – an embrace of the system’s strengths and a rebuke of the steps it has taken backward, such as the extreme increase in tuition over time.
The board has full control over the UC, including reign over admissions policy and tuition.
Inflation-adjusted UC tuition has increased roughly 500% in 40 years. Last year, the regents voted to increase tuition in line with its cohort model, which increases tuition for every class of incoming students and locks in that rate for up to six years.
“I have several students – groups of students – coming to me expressing concerns about what they’re (the regents are) doing,” said Jayha Buhs Jackson, the president of the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
As an advocate for slashing tuition prices and bringing in more students, Galloway will be a much-needed voice on the UC Board of Regents for expanding opportunity.
Galloway attended UCLA in 1982, when the admissions rate was 74% and the annual tuition was $1,200, he said on The New York Times’ “Interesting Times” podcast.
He graduated with a 2.27 GPA and went on to attend UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business for his master’s in business administration.
In his weekly newsletter, Galloway said the opportunities provided to him by the UC in spite of his shortcomings were crucial to the success he achieved in his career. In a later newsletter, he wrote that higher education now offers a product that is similar in quality but with a return on investment that has declined dramatically because of ballooning tuition prices.
Adam Peddie, a rising fourth-year history student and external vice president of Bruin Democrats, said he believes the regents needs someone with fresh ideas who is willing to go against the grain.
“We need somebody to get in there and really ruffle some feathers and provide a new position on what California higher education can and should be,” he said.
Galloway also often discusses the state of young men – and how they are finding less success compared to young women – to mixed reactions. He has argued that the primary education system is biased against young men because of behavioral expectations and higher suspension rates, which has contributed to men falling behind in areas such as college attendance and relationship formation.
Tristan Salazar, a rising second-year political science student, said while some of Galloway’s analysis is perceived as right-wing, his policy prescriptions offer realistic solutions.
“Instead of becoming Andrew Tate, you should probably just go to college,” Salazar said. “You should work on yourself, and we should institutionally try and push these young men along.”
No matter how controversial his statements may be at face value, Galloway raises an important point. UCLA’s undergraduate student body is about 38% male and 60% female, exposing a demographic inequality the UC should analyze and address.
With his refreshing and honest take on higher education, Galloway will be a force for good on issues that are the most important to students, such as tuition hikes.
If the UC seeks to serve the best interests of Californians, then it must find a way to increase opportunities for all while preserving its world-renowned education. The appointment of Galloway to the UC Board of Regents goes a long way in seeing this dream come to fruition.
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