General
American Universities at a Crossroads
Readers respond to the Trump administration’s punitive cuts at Columbia and other schools and the future of higher education.
To the Editor:
Re “Colleges Are Under Attack. They Can Fight Back” (editorial, March 16):
Your editorial highlights the crisis in academia. But the greatest threat to universities is not external pressure — it is internal decay.
Too many institutions have abandoned their historical mission: to pursue truth, refine character and cultivate productive and moral citizens. This loss — not shifting policies or budgets — is why so many Americans have lost faith in higher education.
Universities once considered themselves stewards of a noble tradition, forming covenantal communities where students embarked on a journey of intellectual and moral discovery. Education was transformational, not transactional.
Students were not merely earning degrees but engaging in an exchange of ideas that connected the wisdom of the past with the challenges of the future. Today, however, many institutions have become ideological, insular and detached from the broader society they are meant to serve.
Blaming external forces ignores the real issue: Even with unlimited funding, a university that lacks a moral foundation will still fail. Higher education must reclaim its purpose — not only to advance knowledge, but also to inspire lives of service, compassion and contribution.
This is a defining moment. Universities can either be passive bystanders or proactive leaders. The choice is ours.
