Pepperdine University President Jim Gash urges university leaders to reclaim the “higher purpose” of education in building students' character in light of the scandals rocking college campuses.
Ivy League universities' struggles with anti-Semitism and plagiarism have dominated headlines in recent months. “Un-American” ideologies have infiltrated college campuses, critics say, and weakened academic standards. Americans' trust in these institutions has also plummeted, dropping from 57% in 2015 to 36% in 2023, according to a July 2023 Gallup poll.
These trends reveal that higher education “has failed to provide too many students with the character-building experiences necessary for a free and flourishing society,” Gash recently wrote in Newsweek.
Universities must turn things around by refocusing on civics education and core American values like freedom of speech and freedom of religion “for [our] democratic self-government prospers,” he explained to Fox News Digital.
PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY DEAN PROMOTES 'DIVERSITY OF VIEWPOINTS' THROUGH NATIONWIDE CAMPUS PROTESTS
Pepperdine University President Jim Gash argued that recent events show how universities have lost their way and must return to promoting American values and character. (iStock/Pepperdine University)
The leader of Malibu Christian University, California, argued that the misguided shift in these values in higher education has a direct impact on the well-being of our society, from the workplace to the ballot box.
“So if you enter the workforce having found only one worldview or one ideological approach to particular issues, then you are not well prepared to engage in conversations” or “let alone [be] an informed voter,” Gash said.
“If everything you've been exposed to in your education, whether it's kindergarten through higher education, is one particular point of view, whatever that may be, then you're not prepared to reach your potential to contribute to society,” he said. continued.
To remedy this, universities must commit to facilitating viewpoint diversity in the classroom and beyond. This means “having a curriculum that exposes students to a wide variety of topics and points of view,” having a variety of guest speakers, and hiring professors who helping students learn “how to think” rather than “what to think,” Gash said.
CONCERNING NEW SURVEY REVEALS WHAT STUDENTS REALLY BELIEVE ABOUT CENSORSHIP
Pro-Israel and Palestinian protesters demonstrate on university campuses. (Getty Images)
Gash also urges universities to return to their roots of building moral character.
Schools must “demand uncompromising academic excellence, in which integrity is a critical component,” he argued in his op-ed in Newsweek. “They can play a critical role in imparting humility by exposing students to the world through international programs that broaden their perspectives and foster humble appreciation for other cultures. Likewise, students learn selflessness through the experience of serving others.” others, and universities can play a formative role in developing this lifelong leadership trait by helping them identify and meet the needs of others.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Universities should encourage free speech and emphasize American values, said Pepperdine President Jim Gash. (iStock)
Overall, he highlighted the importance of creating “a culture” that celebrates freedom, character building and open dialogue on campus.
While he does not believe that higher education is necessary for all people “to become an educated and informed member of our society,” he believes that universities should not waste the crucial role they play in developing young adults into citizens. productive.
“We will fade as a society if we lose the ability to have critical thinking and constructive dialogue in a civilized manner, as we have been able to do in recent times,” Gash said.
