VERITAS INSTITUTE
The pursuit of truth demands courage, not comfort.
Veritas Institute works to combat antisemitism and defend open, honest debate on college campuses — grounded in the founding principles higher education was built to protect.
Truth cannot be reached through intimidation.
"Education should not be intended to make people comfortable; it is meant to make them think."
Since the Hamas terror attacks of October 7, 2023, Jewish and Israeli students on North American campuses have reported harassment, exclusion, vandalism, and in some cases physical assault. Too often, university leadership has responded with statements rather than standards — leaving students to navigate hostility largely on their own.
Veritas Institute was founded to close that gap. We advocate for universities to recommit to their founding purpose: the open, rigorous, and fearless pursuit of knowledge — a pursuit that is incompatible with antisemitism, intimidation, or the suppression of debate.
We take our name and our mark from Harvard's original 1638 shield, designed by John Harvard and a group of divinity tutors: three books, two lying open and one turned face down. It is a symbol we believe every institution of higher learning would do well to remember.
Why the third book matters.
Harvard's original 1638 shield carried three books beneath the motto VE·RI·TAS. The first two, representing the Old and New Testaments, lay face up — truths already recorded. The third lay face down: knowledge not yet written, not yet discovered, left open to inquiry.
In 1836, that third book was quietly turned face up and resized to match the others for the sake of a cleaner print. The symbolism — that the pursuit of truth is never finished, that humility before the unknown is the beginning of real scholarship — was lost with it.
Veritas Institute takes its name from that original, unfinished book. We believe a university's obligation is not to declare truth settled, but to keep the conditions — free speech, rigorous debate, and the dignity of every student — that make discovering it possible.
The record on campus is not settled.
Independent surveys and federal investigations tell a consistent story: institutional statements have outpaced institutional accountability.
UCLA / Department of Justice
The Department of Justice pursued a settlement with the University of California after alleging that Jewish and Israeli students at UCLA were physically assaulted, excluded from parts of campus, and denied educational access because of their perceived heritage — while the university did not intervene.
Harvard's accountability gap
Alumni groups such as Harvard Hillel and The 1636 Forum have noted that Harvard, unlike a number of peer institutions, has not published performance measures or a public dashboard tracking its progress on campus antisemitism. The climate this leaves in place is severe: Jewish students across the university report regularly removing visible signs of their religious identity, such as jewelry or clothing, and feeling afraid to say publicly that they have visited Israel.
No review of politicized course materials
At Harvard Business School, a case study titled "Divestment from Israel" and a teaching note titled "Colonialism vs. Imperialism" were written and prepared for classroom use with no apparent institutional review of their content before publication. The Institute holds that official teaching materials on contested political subjects warrant the same editorial scrutiny as any other scholarly publication.
Not a U.S.-only problem
The University of Toronto, McGill University, and other Canadian institutions have faced comparable controversies since 2023, suggesting a pattern across North American higher education rather than isolated incidents.
The share of the global population holding antisemitic attitudes, as tracked by the ADL's Global 100 Index, rose from roughly a quarter in 2014 to nearly half in 2025 — an eleven-year span.
Four virtues higher education was built on.
These are not abstractions. They are the standard we ask universities — and ourselves — to be held to.
Humility
Acknowledging the limits of what we know, and staying open to evidence that challenges our own beliefs — especially on history's most contested questions.
Dignity
Recognizing the inherent worth of every individual, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or politics — and rejecting collective blame for the actions of any government.
Character
Moral consistency demonstrated through action, not statements or task forces — the courage to confront prejudice regardless of its source.
Ability
Cultivating critical thinking and rigorous reasoning, and helping every student and scholar reach their full intellectual potential.
Founded by a Harvard MBA who chose to speak up.
Warren C. Nagler
Warren C. Nagler is a senior executive, strategic advisor, and operations leader with more than 35 years of experience spanning corporate finance, strategy, consulting, technology-enabled operations, and organizational development. He brings a unique combination of strategic insight, financial expertise, operational leadership, entrepreneurship, and emerging technology experience.
He serves as Founder, CEO, and Shareholder of Sunnyslope Capital Advisors LLC, a consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, corporate financial management, mergers & acquisitions, and operations strategy. Throughout his career, he has held senior financial and operations positions at PepsiCo, Masco Corporation, Kemper Insurance, and National Clearing Corporation (a unit of Charles Schwab & Co.), as well as leading global consulting firms Accenture and Booz Allen Hamilton. He is a co-founder of a more than forty-year-old technology services company and two successful investment advisory firms.
Mr. Nagler earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, with coursework in Corporate Finance, Financial Control, and Strategy, and a BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a regular guest speaker and mentor at several major universities, including the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, the UC Davis Child Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and New York University. He holds certifications in Generative Artificial Intelligence, Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Technology, and multiple FINRA securities licenses.
Demand that universities practice the third book’s significance.
Veritas Institute is powered by alumni, faculty, and students who believe truth-seeking and student dignity are not competing values. Your support funds research, campus advocacy, and public accountability efforts.
Read what we publish.
Original writing on campus antisemitism, free expression, and institutional accountability. No more than monthly, and never a list we rent, sell, or share.
Get in touch.
Press, campus partnerships, speaking requests, or anything else.
info@verinst.org
Phoenix, Arizona