The Rise of Pete Hegseth: From Ivy League Graduate to Defense Secretary

Pete Hegseth's journey from a Princeton undergraduate to U.S. Secretary of Defense has been marked by military service, media prominence, and now, controversial reforms in military education. Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in politics from Princeton University in 2003, Hegseth was an active conservative voice, publishing The Princeton Tory and benefiting from an Army ROTC scholarship. He later earned a Master of Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School in 2013, where his capstone policy analysis exercise advocated for a diverse STEM high school in Minnesota to close racial achievement gaps and boost competitiveness. These elite credentials stand in stark contrast to his current stance against 'woke' higher education institutions.

Appointed Secretary of Defense in early 2025 amid Trump's second term, Hegseth has prioritized 'America First' military policies, including overhauls in professional military education (PME). His actions have sparked debates among scholars, who question whether his reforms prioritize ideological purity over intellectual rigor.

Hegseth's Controversial Academic Record

Hegseth's time at Princeton was not without scrutiny. In 2025, The Daily Princetonian investigated his senior thesis, 'Modern Presidential Rhetoric and the Cold War Context,' uncovering eight instances of plagiarism, including verbatim passages from sources like The Washington Post and Richard Reeves' book without proper quotation marks, despite footnotes in some cases. Three experts confirmed violations of Princeton's academic integrity rules, though deemed minor and indicative of poor citation practices rather than intentional deceit. Princeton has no mechanism for post-graduation undergraduate sanctions.

At Harvard, Hegseth's 47-page policy brief supported equity measures in STEM education, proposing geographic quotas and diversity initiatives—a position at odds with his later purges of DEI materials from Pentagon libraries and merit-only admissions at service academies. Critics highlight this evolution as hypocrisy, fueling accusations that his reforms stem from personal resentment toward academia.

Key Reforms: Severing Ties with Elite Universities

In February 2026, Hegseth announced the 'complete and immediate cancellation' of Department of Defense attendance at Ivy League schools and similar elites like Princeton, Columbia, MIT, Brown, Yale, and Harvard for PME, fellowships, and certificate programs. Labeling them 'factories of anti-American resentment and military disdain,' he argued they prioritize 'wokeness and weakness' over victory-focused realism. This affects 93 fellowships, with no impact on ROTC or professional degrees like law or medicine.

Potential replacements include Michigan, UNC, Virginia Tech, Regent, Hillsdale, and Liberty University, selected for intellectual freedom and minimal foreign ties. Service academies are purging civilian faculty—60 at Naval Academy, more at West Point and Air Force Academy—replacing them with active-duty officers to emphasize 'warrior ethos.' A 90-day war college review targets 'wokeness,' with fitness standards unified to male benchmarks.

Scholarly Critiques: A 'Headlong Pursuit of Mediocrity'

Johns Hopkins scholar Eliot Cohen's Atlantic piece, 'Hegseth’s Headlong Pursuit of Academic Mediocrity,' lambasts the reforms as anti-intellectual, warning they ensure 'fighting men can’t think and thinking men can’t fight.' He draws parallels to pre-WWI Germany's officer-dominated Kriegsakademie, which bred strategic obtuseness by shunning civilians like Hans Delbrück. Cohen argues civilian faculty bring specialized expertise in cyber, languages, history—vital for modern warfare—while military faculty are generalists lacking depth.

Retired Army Col. Peter Mansoor calls it shortsighted, limiting officers' exposure to top thinkers. American Council on Education's Lindsey Tepe notes confusion over implementation, disrupting planning. Scholars like James Lang view Hegseth's Princeton plagiarism as minor but symptomatic of broader disdain for academic standards.

Impacts on Higher Education Institutions

Elite universities face funding losses from canceled fellowships and PME slots. Harvard offered free tuition to affected service members post-cut, underscoring reliance on DoD partnerships. MIT, commissioning 12,000 officers, highlights irreplaceable expertise in AI and nuclear science. Affected schools report no direct notifications, only public announcements, hampering responses.

Broader ripple effects include strained research collaborations in defense tech. New partners like Hillsdale gain, but critics question their capacity for national security programs. Global higher ed watches as U.S. military decoupling sets precedent amid DEI debates.

Military Perspectives: Merit vs. Diversity?

Hegseth champions meritocracy, ending race-based admissions and DEI training, aligning with Trump-era shifts. Supporters praise refocus on lethality, citing 'woke' distractions. However, 80% of officers from ROTC/direct commissions face unclear implications if civilian education deemed unfit.

• Pros: Emphasizes warrior skills, reduces ideological bias.
• Cons: Limits strategic thinking, innovation from diverse academia.

Naval Secretary John Phelan pushes humanities cuts, but scholars warn of echoing historical blunders.

The Irony of Hegseth's Elite Pedigree

Hegseth's Princeton/Harvard degrees fuel irony. His Harvard brief supported equity; now he bans military from such schools. Plagiarism claims, though minor, undermine his academic critique authority. Scholars see personal vendetta, perhaps from feeling outmatched in intellectual circles.

Broader Implications for U.S. Higher Education

Reforms exacerbate tensions between military and academia, mirroring national culture wars. Universities lose prestige, funding; military risks insularity. Global parallels: UK, Canada debate military-academia ties amid similar ideological divides.

For more on higher ed career paths amid policy shifts, explore academic CV tips.

Future Outlook: Reforms' Long-Term Effects

Do Hegseth's changes yield battle-ready leaders or strategic voids? Scholars predict talent drain from top programs, innovation lag. War colleges review may extend purges. Amid Iran tensions, focus on pragmatism tests reforms. Higher ed must adapt, fostering military partnerships elsewhere.

Stakeholders urge dialogue; balanced views emphasize civilians' role in complex warfare. As reforms unfold, academia watches warily.

Photo by Enayet Raheem on Unsplash

Stakeholder Reactions and Alternatives

Affected unis like Yale recommit to service; alternatives like Liberty prepare. ROTC unaffected preserves pipeline. Experts recommend hybrid models blending military ethos with academic depth. For university jobs in policy, see executive roles.