679. Why Does Vanderbilt Keep Winning?

In this episode of Freakonomics Radio, Vanderbilt University chancellor and political scientist Daniel Diermeier discusses how the university is thriving at a time when public trust in higher education is declining, political pressures are mounting, and finances are fragile. His central management philosophy is summed up as “choosing magnets over wedges”—finding ways to unite rather than divide. The conversation explores how this approach plays out in practical leadership decisions across campus.