Challenges to the funding and trustworthiness of science—like those put forward by the Trump Administration—will recur. Scholars and institutions of science have been scorned, persecuted, exiled, and executed by governments, mobs, and religious organizations somewhere on the globe for nearly all of recorded history. This has occurred in autocratic and democratic states, in progressive and conservative societies, and for political agendas but also public distaste or whim. This paper was written in the interest of developing a self-sustaining system for science, one that removes dependence on singular political or profit-motivated organizations, therefore

The industry of science has the obligation to ensure that human knowledge and scientific inquiry progresses unhindered by dogma, violence, or personal vendettas.

In this paper, I address the conflict between the U.S. government and institutions of science. I demonstrate that the legitimacy of the claims levied against universities is irrelevant, merely that science is vulnerable to this threat is a fundamental error in the university’s structure. I examine the output of the university in three categories—postsecondary education, research, and expertise—and reveal these fundamental errors in production. Then, I suggest models of production for each of these categories that are self-sustaining. I discuss the implications of these models for equitable and effective admissions, programming, hiring, and career progression within the university. Finally, I discuss the implications for society: when universities are more equitable and efficacious, the organizations that use the products and services of the university are as well.