A year‑end roundup of the most read Review essays of 2025 spotlights pieces that shaped the higher‑education conversation: Lee Bollinger on an 'authoritarian moment' in academe, Jill Lepore’s near‑resignation at Harvard, and other long‑form critiques of governance, free expression and institutional purpose. The compilation maps how opinion and investigative features propelled national debates over tenure, speech policies, administrative accountability and the public role of universities. Provosts, communications officers and trustees should review the collection: widely read essays can change external narratives, influence donor perceptions and prompt policy responses at peer institutions.