Presidential Opinion

Fordham University President Joseph M. McShane, S.J., writes:  It’s back-to-school season for everyone from kindergarteners to college and university students. As the president of Fordham University, I relish the opportunity to welcome new students to campus and welcome back our continuing students. And yet I know there are some students accepted to colleges and universities across the country—including my own institution, at which we offer more than $185 million in financial aid for undergraduate students—who are not able to enroll this fall because they do not have the financial resources to pursue a college degree. This doesn’t have to be their reality; our country has programs and funding in place that can and should help make college accessible for all.

Leon Botstein, president of Bard College, on the liberal arts, philanthropy, and political repression.

Denison University (OH) President  Adam Weinberg writes: Two of the most persistent challenges facing the U.S. are a lack of meaningful jobs and growing income inequality. And these problems are only getting worse. Sure, there are jobs out there, at fast-food restaurants or fulfillment warehouses desperate to hire someone — anyone. But what we really need are meaningful jobs that anchor people. This means positions that pay a livable wage, provide benefits and stability, and enhance skills so that people can eventually move on to even better jobs.

 

Marymount University President Irma Becerra writes: As the president of a minority-serving institution (MSI) in Marymount University, specifically the first designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in Virginia, I am proud to be part of a community of institutions nationally that serve a critical role in leveling the playing field by providing quality postsecondary education to millions of minority students nationwide. A college degree has long stood as the key to economic mobility in America, what I refer to as the “great equalizer.” That’s why it is essential to ensure that low-income, first-generation and minority students can afford to attend institutions of higher education.

Bellarmine University (KY) President Susan M. Donovan, Ph.D., wrote:  When you think of college students, you likely picture nervous, excited 18-year-olds making their first forays into the real world. We are welcoming a number of those first-year students to Bellarmine University this month — 600 of them, in fact. But we are also paving the way for different types of students — many who have been in the real world for years — to earn a college education. We are doing so by launching new programs that target the needs of adults seeking to complete four-year degrees.