Robert L. Siegfried Jr. and his wife, Kathleen made a generous $71.5 million donation to the University of Delaware’s business college on the auspice of enhancing a conservative focus. The gargantuan contribution was made at a time when higher education is under considerable pressure, still contending with the ideological ripples of President Donald Trump’s second run. Despite the university president, Dennis Assanis, labeling this donation as ‘transformative’, the connection between this major donation and perceived weakening of liberal narratives at universities creates questions.
The program advocated by Siegfried leans towards a more conservative outlook- an approach premised on limited government and private sector initiatives. This approach arrives when the academic landscape is polarized by federal policy templates like Project 2025. This Heritage Foundation blueprint, established during the Trump era, encourages reductions in subsidies to what they term as ‘woke’ universities that foster a ‘socialist elite’, disregarding middle America’s needs.
Siegfried’s pursuit is not devoid of ambition. He aims to establish a Siegfried Institute for Leadership and Free Enterprise, undeniably pushing back against the rising current of liberalism that often characterizes university spaces. The University of Delaware (UD), a state-backed institution catering to 24,000 students and managing a $1.3 billion annual budget, faces its own set of troubles, lending weight to Siegfried’s pursuit.
UD grapples with reduced federal funding for research and a drop in international student enrollments. The institution also faces the uphill battle of inflating staff healthcare costs, increased need for student aid, and tax hikes on university investments. It’s clear that Siegfried’s conservative drive gains relevance as universities struggle for financial resilience. It seems to be less about conservative sentiment and more about practical financial concerns for UD.
The winds of change swept through UD’s executive offices in Hullihen Hall, Newark, Del., campus soon after Siegfried’s announcement. COO John Long declared his retirement on March 20. Shortly after, a Women and Gender Studies professor resigned, pointing to the university’s refusal to continue funding UD’s Anti-Racism Initiative, which she was heading. These movements indicate a shift into a new era within the university’s faction.
On April 21, Mary Remmler, UD’s chief financial officer, shared at a meeting that the university is faced with a glaring $25 million operating deficit. Additionally, the university announced to staff and retirees its plans to exit the state health insurance program. A seemingly desperate move to reduce expenses. Remmler herself resigned just nine days following this reveal, adding to the snowballing top-player exits in the university.
The university president Dennis Assanis treaded down the same path, resigning on May 13, a year ahead of his contract completion. The sequence of abrupt resignations raises questions on the administration’s stability and the potential consequence that Siegfried’s donation might have triggered. It felt like the metaphorical house of cards was left precariously perched.
Despite the upheavals, Siegfried, founder of Wilmington-based Siegfried Group and Siegfried Advisory, held firm. He was unshaken by these departures. Siegfried remained resolute to implement his educational vision described as ‘conservative’ in a landscape dominated by liberal ideologies.
The Siegfried name is expected to mark not only a hall but also a significant share of the university’s business classroom space, which is predicted to rise by nearly 40%. Moreover, the new institute to bear his name has sparked interest. His ties to the university run deep, being an alumni himself, from the class of ’81 of UD’s business college.
Siegfried’s dedication to UD is further emphasized with an additional $6 million donation aimed towards scholarships. This places his complete contribution at a remarkable $77.5 million. This reveals his unwavering dedication to the university and a possible attempt to shape it in alignment with his conservative philosophy.
His envisioned Siegfried Institute is publicly promoted as a symbol of upholding ‘rule of law and property rights’ and as a mouthpiece for ‘free-enterprise’. He aims to create a parallel, or a counterweight, to the government-inclined Biden Institute. This appears as a covert move to carve a conservative niche within the largely government-oriented academic scenery.
However, pushing any changes at UD is no simple task. Influence within the faculty is essential. At this point, it is observed that the faculty have shown their support, expressing their belief in the necessity of this perceived conservative voice within the university. They’ve mounted defense for this new direction.
Siegfried’s maneuver exemplifies leadership, according to him. For him, leadership means persuading people to align with your beliefs and your emotional perspective. It seems like he is propelling others to embrace his conservative stance, packaging it as a championing of free enterprise.
Leadership, in the eyes of Siegfried, also manifests in the display of ambition and courage. At a time when universities often succumb to societal pressure and lean towards liberal narratives, daring to take the ‘uncomfortable’, contrarian path is something Siegfried seemingly equates with true leadership.
The impact of Siegfried’s donation reverberates beyond transforming a mere physical space. His donation not only fuels a significant expansion in academic infrastructure but also seeks to shift the intellectual climate within the university. The potential outcome of these changes is yet to be seen.
While the gift of $71.5 million is undeniably substantial, the question that lurks in the shadows is whether such substantial funding will indeed drive true, sustainable change or merely hover as a vain ambition. As the university grapples with its internal struggles and ideological fluctuations, only time will reveal the final narrative.