REIMAGINING ELITE HIGHER EDUCATION
An Academic Social Contract for Our Time
November 7 - 9, 2025 | Yale Law School
covered in:
Stay tuned for our 2026 conference announcement 🌞
The Academic Social Contract:
Here's the Plan
Step One: Draft a New Academic
Social Contract
In the summer of 2025, five student working groups drafted our first and second draft of the new ASC.
Step Two: Launch Our Vision at Yale
Delegates from dozens of institutions nationwide – private and public, large and small – convened at Yale Law School to learn how elite colleges are failing the public, forge relationships, and plan on-campus organizing.
Step Three: Organize
Students are taking what they learned back to their campuses and become a part of the national campaign to hold elite colleges to a higher standard.
THE AGENDA
Friday Evening, November 7, 4:00 PM — Setting the Stage
Kick off the weekend by exploring what the academic social contract means and why it matters. Meet your fellow delegates, connect with scholars leading the conversation, and start building the energy and relationships that will fuel the weekend.
Saturday Morning, November 8, 8:45 AM — The Broken Contract
Uncover how elite colleges have drifted from their obligations to society. Panels on governance, admissions, career paths, and civic purpose will challenge what you thought you knew about higher education — and inspire new ways to think about its impact.
Saturday Afternoon, November 8, 1:45 PM — Our Vision for a Better Future
Move from critique to creation. Participate in workshops, hear bold student proposals, and help imagine universities that prioritize democracy, opportunity, and community. Shape a vision for higher education that serves everyone, not just the privileged few.
Sunday Morning, November 9, 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM — Organizing for Change
Turn ideas into action. Learn strategies from organizers and civic leaders, explore models for campus and national impact, and leave with concrete commitments to make higher education more just in your own community.
Meet the team
A conference by students for students
Jared Rhee
Co-Chair
Jared is a junior studying chemistry at Yale and is originally from Newton, Massachusetts.
Emily Hettinger
Co-Chair
Emily Hettinger (she/her) is a senior at Yale studying Psychology and Education Studies. She is originally from Torrance, California and is excited to organize around a new academic social contract that involves universities serving the communities around them and an end to corporate career funneling.
Hayley Serpa
Co-Chair
Hayley is a PhD student in the History of Science and Medicine at Yale. She is an alumna of Florida International University, where she first became involved in advancing equity in higher education for women, people of color, and first-generation college students.
Saman Haddad
GPSS President
Sam is a third-year at Yale Law School and Student Body President of Yale’s Graduate & Professional Student Senate, with a focus on law, educational accessibility, and community-oriented economic development.
