Education Policy, Business and Technology

University think tanks face tough road but continued interest

Inside Higher Ed: In November, the University of South Florida decided to shutter a five-year-old think tank focused on global civil society and conflict, a tacit admission that the venture had been unable to find its voice or a sustainable financial base despite receiving millions in grant funding.

The closure wasn’t the best look for an institution with aspirations of growing into a widely known global research university. A local television station report slammed the think tank for its spending habits and alleged lack of direction. The harsh spotlight came at a time when the future of think tanks seems in many ways perilous, with global populism rising and voters widely believed to have rejected expert opinion over the course of this year’s U.S. election.

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