President of Wesleyan University. (grand)father, husband, author, professor. Defender of academic freedom, liberal education and democracy.https://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mlxrihdkrk2xCarla Sosenko on “proximity without belonging” on Long Island: a “place forever caught, like the whole country, between a vision of who we aspire to be and an anxiety about who we really are.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/16/opinion/long-island-tv-villains-politics.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share via @nytopinion.nytimes.com16 May 2026 11:45 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlxrihdkrk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mlk33jnijk2oGeorge Orwell: “Certainly we ought to be discontented, we ought not simply to find out ways of making the best of a bad job, and yet if we kill all pleasure in the actual process of life, what sort of future are we preparing for ourselves?” https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/some-thoughts-on-the-common-toad/11 May 2026 00:59 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlk33jnijk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mlbvjlkbok2jWar going badly, so WH investigates trans students at @smithcollege.bsky.social Good time to recycle this: "My trans students have made me think hard about transformation and identity, about nature and convention, about character and performance." https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2025-03-05/education-trans-students-university07 May 2026 18:58 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbvjlkbok2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mkx7wx6h2c2oRead @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social “Computers can do much that humans once did, but they didn’t put humans out of work. The ability to do more made people realize there was more to do.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/opinion/ai-jobs-unemployment-silicon-valley.html?unlocked_article_code=1.flA.ZjSN.H7zqQeGaBZRD03 May 2026 13:06 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkx7wx6h2c2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mk6xladucs2f“Amid the…administration’s ongoing attack on higher ed, the message is clear: Don’t worry, it says, we are staying in our narrow lane. That’s not a mission; it’s a defense strategy. And the retreat from public purpose will not enhance trust; it will further erode it” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/opinion/yale-has-come-up-with-a-surefire-way-to-make-a-terrible-situation-worse.html?unlocked_article_code=1.c1A.oKEG.Qe2NWSpyzzj3&smid=nytcore-ios-share23 Apr 2026 21:32 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk6xladucs2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mk6m7ttudc2z@aacu.org @aceducation.bsky.social @thefireorg.bsky.social @nytopinion.nytimes.com @aaup.org @yalepress.bsky.social @wes-alumni.bsky.social @mollyjongfast.bsky.social @kevinmkruse.bsky.social [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Apr 2026 18:09 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk6m7ttudc2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mk5y45sook26My take on how NOT to restore trust in #highered “A lack of public engagement & an air of cloistered privilege are a big part of why so many people now view universities with suspicion. Retreating further behind the gates will make a bad situation much worse.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/opinion/yale-has-come-up-with-a-surefire-way-to-make-a-terrible-situation-worse.html?unlocked_article_code=1.c1A.oKEG.Qe2NWSpyzzj3&smid=tw-share23 Apr 2026 12:09 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk5y45sook26https://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mjyzglo3tk2gSharing this for those still choosing a college @nytopinion.nytimes.com https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/05/opinion/college-choice-admissions-wesleyan.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Y1A.qP-y.BK0JXDnxqkLe&smid=bs-share21 Apr 2026 12:49 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjyzglo3tk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mjumzr26nk2mLearning about Russia, thinking about US "Having tasted self-determination, they are not so willing to let their country slip into autocracy without a fight..“We’ve read books...We know what comes next.” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/14/movies/my-undesirable-friends-part-i-last-air-in-moscow-review.html?unlocked_article_code=1.cFA.yAcq.uhxWHL0k4yrf&smid=tw-share19 Apr 2026 18:57 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjumzr26nk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mjmwuldlqk2k"Thoreau saves his harshest words for those who share his beliefs but “sit down with their hands in their pockets, and say they know not what to do, and do nothing.” @theatlantic.com https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/04/henry-david-thoreau-great-american-dissident/686823/?gift=5Q5L7PTzU41NVp-DiEIqInPujsoMxfjeNe0qfv_CzWE&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share16 Apr 2026 17:31 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmwuldlqk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mjmrbwbp6s2bNarrowing the mission won't save #highered from authoritarianism, and it won't increase trust. @yale.edu16 Apr 2026 15:51 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmrbwbp6s2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mjk46rvm4k2aSo many insights, so much spleen! https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-humanists-helped-wreck-the-humanities15 Apr 2026 14:29 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjk46rvm4k2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mjhxdhoxoc2hAs college decision day approaches, good to remember the transformative power of a great education. @wesleyanuniversity.bsky.social @aacu.org @aaup.org @aceducation.bsky.social @thefireorg.bsky.social https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/27/opinion/college-education-tuition-egalitarian.html?unlocked_article_code=1.a1A.IXDS.4CBWp2UI7Vah&smid=tw-share14 Apr 2026 17:56 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjhxdhoxoc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mjcbwf23mk2fRead @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social “Conversation is not a reward to be bestowed on those with whom we agree; it’s a necessary habit in a democracy. The point is not to find agreement so much as to deepen understanding.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/opinion/hasan-piker-democrats.html?unlocked_article_code=1.aVA.wNzL.CIC0X6Aq9UCk12 Apr 2026 11:50 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjcbwf23mk2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mivwexw5x22b"what makes a school the right one? It’s not the prestige of a name or the campus amenities. First & foremost, it’s the teachers. Great teachers help make a college great because they themselves are never done being students." @wesleyanuniversity.bsky.social @aaup.org https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/05/opinion/college-choice-admissions-wesleyan.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Y1A.qP-y.BK0JXDnxqkLe&smid=bs-share07 Apr 2026 13:51 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mivwexw5x22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3miu6fn6dpk2vWrote this Emersonian essay before AI was a factor in students' lives. As folks are choosing colleges, it seems even more relevant. @wesleyanuniversity.bsky.social @aacu.org @aceducation.bsky.social https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/05/opinion/college-choice-admissions-wesleyan.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Y1A.qP-y.BK0JXDnxqkLe&smid=bs-share06 Apr 2026 21:10 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3miu6fn6dpk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mircd7hblk2jFrom Passover to Democracy Summer 2026 Remembering oppression &paths to liberation can inspire new modes of political participation as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration @aacu.org @aceducation.bsky.social @civicnation.bsky.social @katiephang.bsky.social https://forward.com/opinion/817030/passover-liberation-us-history-independence/05 Apr 2026 17:42 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mircd7hblk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mie6tidlfs2aRead @markwarner.bsky.social “There is no legitimate basis for such an emergency. That is not the point. The point is that the Trump administration could manufacture an impression of an emergency, creating a pretext for intervention.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/opinion/midterm-elections-trump-interference.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XVA.PQCO.6iFZ67WPDMSu31 Mar 2026 12:35 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mie6tidlfs2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mie3gd3hmc2e“One does not have to be a criminologist to predict that people who commit a violent act and are absolved of any punishment might become repeat offenders.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/opinion/trump-jan-6-pardons-crimes-recidivism.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XVA.oZVb.ZgpTvcyheBsc31 Mar 2026 11:34 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mie3gd3hmc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mi75oiwshs2k“Azhar describes his efforts to safeguard “the space where ideas arrive before they’re shaped.” But how many of us will put in such careful, reflective effort to protect our most generative spaces of thought? How many..even know which spaces should be protected?” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/opinion/ai-claude-chatgpt-gemini-mcluhan.html?unlocked_article_code=1.W1A.Nc0y.GFBsrZ1ykQYx29 Mar 2026 12:31 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi75oiwshs2khttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mhw7fplxd22zRead AO Scott “Literary allusions are dangerous things in Washington,” Hallie Flanagan remarked after her run-in with the witch-hunting congressional committee. Those were the days.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/books/review/a-treacherous-secret-agent-marjorie-garber.html?unlocked_article_code=1.V1A.Mjb7.fD3YKInhFYxq25 Mar 2026 23:08 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhw7fplxd22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mhiwytp4lc2fBringing this back: “Jew hatred is real, but today’s anti-antisemitism isn’t a legitimate effort to fight it. It’s a cover for a wide range of agendas that have nothing to do with the welfare of Jewish people.” @harvard.edu @wesleyanuniversity.bsky.social @aacu.org https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/opinion/trump-jewish-antisemitism-wesleyan.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UlA.6rQg.pcSlcs1qITyO20 Mar 2026 16:33 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhiwytp4lc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mh3idjazkk27"authoritarian regimes are never satisfied...if they do not encounter resistance, they tighten the screws further. The amount of public dissent that may still be possible today could be impossible tomorrow…Opportunism is contagious, but so is courage" #highereducation https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/15/opinion/oscar-winners-political-speeches.html?unlocked_article_code=1.TVA.30mK.Vi5zEiwWEl13&smid=bs-share15 Mar 2026 08:06 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mh3idjazkk27https://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mgxkygmhb22e“we will look back at the present moment with the same kind of shame that we feel when we reflect back on, say, Japanese internment in World War II. We are detaining people by the tens of thousands in brutal conditions in the absence of any criminal conviction.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/opinion/iran-war-constitution-trump.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share13 Mar 2026 18:42 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgxkygmhb22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mgddk2gez22aStudents defend democracy by participating in it. "Higher education has thrived in the ecosystem of freedoms provided by our democracy. Today that ecosystem is under enormous strain, & as teachers & students we must now rise to its defense." @mollyjongfast.bsky.social https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/opinion/elections-college-crisis-democracy-summer.html?unlocked_article_code=1.QlA.C4SN.k344886Jbh7w&smid=url-share05 Mar 2026 17:36 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgddk2gez22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mgaecs542c27On #DemocracySummer "Now is the time for everyone— Republicans, Democrats and independents —to come together & defend our foundational democratic right. And higher education has a unique role to play." @aacu.org @civicnation.bsky.social @wesleyanuniversity.bsky.social https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/opinion/elections-college-crisis-democracy-summer.html?unlocked_article_code=1.QlA.C4SN.k344886Jbh7w&smid=url-share04 Mar 2026 13:12 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgaecs542c27https://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mg5y6kkcuc2pTeaching CASABLANCA @wesleyanuniversity.bsky.social this morning. Will talk about immigration, war, the choice of public action over personal desire. I wrote this almost 10 years ago https://www.chronicle.com/article/heres-looking-at-you-casablanca/?sra=true03 Mar 2026 14:29 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mg5y6kkcuc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mfhlh2nqek2dRead @mashagessen.bsky.social & hear the screams “This war, like the great war before it, has extracted and normalized extraordinary sacrifice. It demands that everyone serve and everyone be a hero.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/22/opinion/ukraine-russia-war-four-years.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OFA.5oEO.nT3-hRxfZo3r22 Feb 2026 16:43 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfhlh2nqek2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/msroth.bsky.social/post/3mfh6qqejls2t Ian Buruma “People kept hoping that the next act of war &assault on decency would be the final one… yet life continues as usual. What was unthinkable only yesterday we now take in stride, and we wait for that moment when things really have gone too” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/22/opinion/history-hope-delusion.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OFA.Mzjn.qq2t2CGg0BmH22 Feb 2026 12:56 +0000at://did:plc:256smfaf3tkht3vo7din2fqv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfh6qqejls2t