February 28, 1967. Almost sixty years ago today. That’s when newly elected Governor of California, Ronald Reagan, stood at a press conference and suggested that perhaps the state could do without certain “intellectual luxuries” in higher education. And while it may have been couched as temporary belt tightening to help balance the budget, it wasn’t just another politician’s throwaway line—it was a statement of intent and the day the fundamental purpose of American higher education began to evolve from a vision of higher education as a public good to one where the value of a degree was increasingly measured by its economic utility. A shift from learning to earning.
This shift defines the modern story of presidential influence on higher education. How good intentions for positive educational reform and economic development have turned universities into job training centers, pitted professors and unions against the economic interests of students and taxpayers, how student aid has become a political football, and how the American Dream has gotten tangled up in student loan statements.
Since Reagan, every modern U.S. president has shaped higher education in ways that continue to ripple across institutions today. Jimmy Carter expanded federal aid, opening the doors to higher education for middle-class students while tackling discrimination in athletics and admissions. Bill Clinton, despite his progressive reputation, quietly set the stage for today’s $1.7 trillion student debt crisis by making it harder for borrowers to discharge student loans through bankruptcy. George W. Bush’s administration doubled down on market-driven higher ed policies, prioritizing skills training and corporate accountability in universities. Barack Obama championed affordability and access, proposing free community college—but his administration’s relationship with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) remained complicated. Joe Biden took executive action to alleviate student debt and expand Pell Grants for incarcerated students, but many of his higher ed policies have been stalled or struck down by the courts.
What makes these stories essential right now? These presidential policies aren’t just gathering dust in the National Archives—they’re still actively shaping the decisions of every high school senior staring at college acceptance letters, every parent calculating loan payments, every researcher chasing grants, every administrator trying to keep their institution’s lights on, and every policymaker debating the role of higher education in America’s future.
This week, we examine how modern presidents have redefined higher education, each leaving behind policies that still impact students and institutions today. From how Reagan’s market-first approach metastasized across administrations of both parties, to how Clinton’s “tough love” student loan policies set the stage for today’s debt crisis, from Obama’s affordability push to Biden’s debt relief battles, the policies of the past explain much about the current state of higher education.
Understanding these legacies is not just a history lesson—it’s a tool for making sense of today’s biggest debates: Who should pay for college? What is the real value of a degree? And perhaps most critically—where do we go from here?