This article examines recent reductions and freezes in humanities Ph.D. programs at the University of Chicago, exploring the implications for the future of humanistic scholarship. It highlights concerns about the loss of vital fields, the motivations behind these budget cuts—whether fiscal prudence or strategic resource redistribution—and the broader risk to the preservation of knowledge and cultural understanding in academia.

This year's poll revealed rising support for private school choice options, support for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, widespread opposition to President Donald Trump's plan to dismantle the Department of Education and growing resistance to artificial intelligence and cellphones in...