U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued a national call to action urging university presidents and governing boards to publicly pledge higher-education reforms by the end of 2026. In a statement, McMahon told institutions to reaffirm commitments to academic excellence, pathbreaking research, and national service, while citing historic lows in public trust in higher education. The call also pushes schools to publish commitments addressing admissions transparency and merit, protections for free speech and open inquiry, faculty hiring and evaluation practices tied to intellectual pluralism, and plans for affordability and student outcomes—framed as a “forthright conversation with the American people.”