At this late date, only classically liberal solutions can address what have become illiberal problems.
Modern American universities used to assume four goals.
First, their general-education core taught students how to reason inductively and imparted an aesthetic sense through knowledge of Michelangelo, the Battle of Gettysburg, “Medea,” “King Lear,” Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” astronomy and Euclidean geometry.
Second, campuses encouraged edgy speech and raucous expression — and exposure to all sorts of weird ideas and mostly unpopular thoughts. College talk was never envisioned as boring, politically correct megaphones echoing orthodox pieties.
Third, four years of college trained students for productive careers. Implicit was the university’s assurance that its degree was a wise career investment.
Finally, universities were not monopolistic price-gougers. They sought affordability to allow access to a broad middle class that had neither federal subsidies nor lots of money.
The American undergraduate university is now failing on all four counts.
A bachelor’s degree is no longer proof that any graduate can read critically or write effectively. National college entrance test scores have generally declined the last few years, and grading standards have as well.
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