Higher Education Has Lost Its Why

Neil Postman in The End of Education (1996) predicted that colleges and universities would become places of "chaotic, irresponsible, relativism." Thirty years ago, he foresaw colleges losing their core beliefs and drifting from their founding mission statement; today, we see the manifestation of his prediction. Even further back, William Butler Yeats, in his poem, "The Second Coming" (1919), expressed his feeling that the world is falling apart due to a "lack of conviction": "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world." More recently, Simon Sinek, in his book Know Your Why (2022), challenged individuals to know their core beliefs, purpose, and reason for existence. 

Postman, Yeats, and Sinek are discussing the same thing; in order for individuals and institutions to flourish, they must know their "why" and operate authentically to their core purpose, their deep convictions, and their mission statement. 

In short, higher education has lost its "why." Many college campuses can be described as having an ethos of "chaotic, irresponsible, relativism" (Postman) where "the best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity" (Yeats).  

Recently, critics of higher education have become more bold to proclaim what Postman predicted. These vocal critics have caused our country collectively to ask, what is the purpose of higher education? While each college and university has its own mission statement, below are four general categories of why higher education exists.

Knowledge and Truth

Most people would agree that students go to college to get smarter. Knowledge has always been equated with power (knowledge is power) and freedom (e.g. the liberal or liberating arts). Truth (Veritas) is found in the motto of our earliest colleges ... Harvard's motto is simply Veritas (1636) and Yale's motto is Lux et Veritas (1701), translated "light and truth." Education from ancient history was about seeking knowledge and truth, as students would sit under wise teachers (rabbis) to learn as much as they could. This just makes sense ... As a student, I need to seek knowledge and truth from a teacher who has more of it than I do. That is the purpose of higher education.

That has been true for ages (and still is true to an extent), but technology has essentially made this "why" obsolete. I have all knowledge on my phone; in fact, my phone has more knowledge than the most intelligent professor. I don't have to pay tuition or sit through boring lectures to gain knowledge and truth; I have my phone.

Why do I have to go to college if this is the main purpose of higher education?

Career Preparation and Make (more) Money

If you ask students and parents "why college?" the answer is most often to get a good job, with the definition of "good" as being one that makes a lot of money. In fact, we've monetized the reasons for college by stating ROI stats, e.g., a college graduate makes $32,000 per year more than a high school graduate. But, is this the primary reason that colleges exist? Most colleges and universities do not have job preparation in their founding mission statement, but most strategic plans / vision statements do. Most colleges and universities tout job placement statistics and have departments of post-graduate success. Especially since the Industrial Revolution, American higher education has focused on preparing students for a job. 

This reason is also becoming obsolete; here are a few factors.

1. Skills learned in college are obsolete a few years later. The speed of change (especially in technology fields) is so great that what students are learning in college will be different when they enter the workplace. Regardless of the position, employers need to conduct extensive skills training on the job.
2. Most individuals change jobs throughout their career. The average person will have 12 different jobs during their lifetime, so going to college to train for a job will only help you get your first job.  After that, you'll be learning on the job.
3. AI is eliminating entry level jobs.  Ironically, students in STEM and computer science jobs are seeing AI and other technologies eliminate entry level positions. It has not been too long since President Obama promoted his "Computer Science for All" initiative, encouraging every student to code. This educational movement was successful with many students going into computer science, but now these students are graduating with outdated coding skills and a lack of entry level positions. AI is doing the same thing to other industries, like accounting, data and financial analysis, and law.

Going to college to get a good job should not be the primary reason, especially in our ever-changing technological world.

The College Experience

I hesitate to even put this down as a reason because no college would say that this is their "why," but it is definitely a factor for students and even parents ... and colleges devote a ton of resources to the "college experience." The 4-6 years in college has become a "rite of passage" for American students. At its worst, American higher education is seen as a time to party and dabble in hedonism. As the first time away from parents, college students indulge in some previously "forbidden fruit." Colleges are even rated on the "party scene"; Niche.com includes a "Party Scene" rating by using student surveys, access to local bars, Greek life, and student activities to grade a school on their party scene, publishing a Top Party Schools in America list each year. Some students consider this when deciding on what college to attend. In this regard, many college campuses have become the embodiment of Psalm 1:1 ... as students are walking with the wicked, standing with sinners, and sitting with mockers. And for the most part, our culture is accepting of this as an American "rite of passage."

While most parents would not want to send their child to a "party school," they do want them to have the college experience. Typically, this is connected to athletics ... with the experience being attending a top ranked football or basketball school to "experience" that atmosphere of college athletics. Catering to this, colleges pay student-athletes millions of NIL dollars to have excellent teams to attract more students.  

However, it is more than just the party scene and athletics, colleges spend significant resources on the more luxurious side of the "college experience," including deluxe accommodations, food service, campus activities, and international travel.   

In this aspect, our culture is exposed ... we value experiences over deep learning, but I don't know of any serious higher education leader who would say that their college exists to provide a "college experience."  It is not the why.

Higher education has lost its why; knowledge, job preparation, and the college experience are not strong enough reasons, and if they want the center to hold, they need to find their purpose.

Looking for a purpose, colleges have turned to promoting an ideology.

Ideology and Activism 

Most recently, especially as knowledge acquisition and job preparation have declined as reasons for higher education, colleges have embraced a new "why": ideology and activism. As we have seen over the past 5 years, college campuses are places where students are taught from a predominate ideology and encouraged to become activists for that ideology. Colleges and universities have become places for protests, riots, and unfortunately, violence.

While I may not agree with the ideology being promoted on most secular campuses, they are returning to a unified core. Neil Postman's criticism of higher education, as I began this article, was that it did not have a unifying core. So in that regard, higher education has found an ideology that a strong majority is promoting; while it does not align with many of their original mission statements, it does unify the institution. 

Have they found their why?  

Yes, I do believe that, at least for this season, their main purpose is to indoctrinate students with a specific ideology ... and they are really good at it.

If that is the case, students (and parents) must carefully evaluate the ideology being presented by the college. I would be bold enough to ask the question ... what ideology is being taught at this institution? ... before enrolling.

While not typically calling it an "ideology," most Christian colleges and universities promote a biblical worldview that unifies the campus and what students are learning. The faithful Christian colleges and universities anchor this worldview in God's word, striving to align all programs to the Bible. Proverbs 9:10 is a foundational verse for Christian higher education and a filter to use in evaluating college choices.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight."

If a college or university does not begin with the fear of the Lord, the ideology being promoted on campus will not be glorifying God ... and will not lead to true wisdom, knowledge, and insight.

Of course, knowledge acquisition, job preparation, and the college experience are all part of the why of higher education, but ideology leads the way.  It is the umbrella that covers all other reasons, so students and parents should evaluate that first before selecting a college.

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Bonus: A few years ago, I wrote an article titled, "Alma Mater: Looking for a College? Choose your Mom." This was a playful but cautionary tale about selecting a college that aligns with the values taught by your parents and church ... because you'll look like your "alma mater" after graduating.