Higher education is in trouble, and not only due to a decline of public trust. As a microcosm of our broader culture, universities are inequitable and often harmful, especially for marginalized people. This is despite the democratic promise of higher education as a path for learning and social mobility. Women, people of color, First Gen, disabled, LGBTQ+, and other minoritized groups are disproportionately harmed in educational institutions that are hierarchical and reproduce inequality. Efforts to foster belonging for faculty, staff, and students may be highly effective but are under attack. Betrayal U intervenes in this context with a diverse, rich collection of essays, art, poetry, and research that explores these inequities through the lens of institutional betrayal, theorized by psychologist Jennifer Freyd. Edited by Rebecca G. Martinez and Monica J. Casper, this collection brings together thirty-six contributors who share personal experiences covering a range of topics in higher education. The work spans five thematic sections that examine the complexities of belonging and exclusion in academic settings.

The contributors share their lived experiences of academic life from diverse vantage points, showing the ways minoritized groups are made to feel unwelcome, further marginalized, and often positioned as the problem. Exhibiting courage, compassion, and a commitment to better futures, the voices in this collection offer both a searing indictment of higher education and pathways to alternative practices and structures. They shine a spotlight on academia today, including the promise of inclusion and the perils of exclusion.

Contributors Celeste Atkins Jasmine Banks Krista L. Benson Jessica Bishop-Royse Samit Dipon Bordoloi Monica J. Casper Aparajita De Kathy Diehl Taylor Marie Doherty Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt Alma Flores Alanna Gillis C. Goldberg Jennifer M. Go?mez Kristina Gupta Jasmine L. Harris Susan Hillock Doreen Hsu Jennifer Lai Amy Andrea Martinez Rebecca G. Martinez Shantel Martinez Sara A. Mata Rachael McCollum Wang Ping Emily Rosser Angelica Ruvalcaba Brandy L. Simula Rashna Batliwala Singh Cierra Raine Sorin Connor Spencer Chantelle Spicer