As our nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of our founding, colleges and universities should take this opportunity to reflect on a question that is important to our republic: What is the enduring purpose of higher education in a free society?
The University of South Carolina, where I serve as chair emeritus of the board of trustees, was established during the earliest years of our republic in an era when our nation’s greatest leaders fervently believed that the preservation of liberty depended upon an educated people.
While that conviction remains for some leaders today, this ideal needs renewed attention throughout the higher education community.
Today's conversations about higher education understandably focus on affordability, upward mobility, research, economic development, athletics, and public confidence. Each is important. Yet the weight of these discussions can obscure a more fundamental truth—America's colleges and universities were created not only to prepare students for productive careers, but to prepare citizens capable of sustaining constitutional self-government.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member