Presidential Opinion

Sian Beilock, president of Dartmouth College (NH), writes:  By the time the U.S. surgeon general declared that we were in the throes of a mental health crisis in 2021, suicide attempts had risen 51 percent for young girls compared with two years prior, and twice as many young people reported feeling depressed and anxious. While the pandemic tipped the scales, the mental wellness odds had already been slipping out of our favor for the past decade.

David Bushman, president of Bridgewater College (VA), writes: That higher education is facing a moment of crisis is widely understood. A perfect storm of conditions—a lack of confidence in voices of authority, incivility in discourse, the economic fragility of students and families, and a craving for immediate return on investment—has fostered a cynicism in the public that has persuaded many that a college degree is simply no longer worth it. Worse, we in higher ed have been complicit in reinforcing that conclusion through the opaque high-tuition/high-discount pricing model that is nearly ubiquitous in private higher education. 

Nathan Long, president of Saybrook University (CA), writes:  A college education in the 21st century must include clear, intentional, ongoing and challenging discussions on justice, diversity, equity and inclusion. Institutions that don’t fulfill this vision do their students a profound disservice.  That’s because the next generation of American leaders, professionals and citizens must understand our country’s diverse and evolving landscape if they want to be effective professionals and engaged community members after graduation.
Discussions of diversity are not “nice-to-haves.” They sit at the core of what it means to be an institution of higher learning. 

Deanne D’Emilio, president of Gwynedd Mercy University (PA), writes:  The world has changed immensely in the almost 75 years since Gwynedd Mercy University opened as a junior college in Gwynedd Valley, PA. But it has sustained a critical constant that has shaped its identity and given it the strength required to face obstacles and seize opportunities: Gwynedd Mercy University was founded by, and has only ever been led, by women. 
And these women all had something in common — they were bold. They were guided by strong values, morals and convictions. They stood on principle and believed in service and community. They believed that under their guidance, they could transform the lives of generations, especially the lives of people most in need of opportunity. 

David L. Warren, former president of Ohio Wesleyan University and president emeritus of NAICU, writes:  I write out of deep concern for American higher education, and do so as the former president of both Ohio Wesleyan University and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, whose membership consists of nearly 1,000 private college presidents. Today we are witnessing a full-scale assault on the academy intended to diminish the role of higher education as an integral guiding force in our nation.