ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the framework for understanding institutions as actors and contributors to the current state of sexual terrorism on campuses in the United States. Using an institutional level of analysis, we discuss the shift in ideology within higher education in the United States that has transformed the way we think about education and educational institutions. This chapter describes the rise of the neoliberal university which emphasizes and prioritizes consumption and commodification within the educational domain. The chapter details ways that the neoliberal agenda has permeated higher education and provides examples of the ways the neoliberal university has taken shape across the nation. It explains the setbacks that the neoliberal agenda has put in motion for women and other marginalized groups, with specific focus on commodification of female sexuality. The chapter concludes with a discussion of neoliberalism as a contributing factor to the development and persistence of sexual terrorism within higher education.
