Vinnakota is president of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, a nonprofit organization that cultivates talent, ideas and networks that develop young people as effective, lifelong citizens.
American higher education stands at a critical crossroads, grappling not only with the symptom of free speech controversies but also with deeper-rooted issues that have sparked recent campus protests. While debates on free speech are crucial, they barely scratch the surface of the deeper crises brewing within the university community and the broader governing structures of the nation.
At the heart of this complex issue lies a fundamental truth: Universities serve not only as bastions of learning but also a bedrock for democracy itself. Yet, recent events have exposed cracks in this foundation, demanding an urgent need for universities to reaffirm their commitment to fortify civic culture, equip students for effective citizenship, and pursue knowledge for the common good. Only then can we navigate away from divisive partisanship, exhausting culture wars, and the crisis of authority that plagues university life.
To start, we need a bold, fresh approach that nurtures civic readiness, embraces diversity and fosters free expression in higher education. Existing frameworks on free speech and civil discourse often prove too inflexible for the real-life challenges present on campuses and in society today.
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The Institute for Citizens and Scholars, which I lead, has convened a growing group of 61 college presidents from diverse institutions across the country under the banner of College Presidents for Civic Preparedness. Together, these presidents have developed and now champion three core civic commitments that offer a clear and practical path to make college life a training ground for American democracy.
First, they will protect and defend free inquiry as the more constructive cousin to free speech, showing how a well-structured exchange of ideas leads to progress.
Second, they will prepare their students for a vibrant, diverse and contentious society. Diversity is a core strength of both academic culture and American life, and students must be comfortable listening, arguing, and collaborating with people from different backgrounds and with different political views.
And third, educating for democracy is central to their mission, ensuring that all students learn the foundations of our government and their own rights and responsibilities in a free society.
Protecting and defending free inquiry
Universities need to protect free speech as a constitutional right but celebrate free inquiry as the higher goal. Students need to experience university life not as a disorienting free-for-all but as a place for structured forms of debate, dialogue and compromise.
The First Amendment offers broad protection for all kinds of objectionable expression, but that protection is a floor for engagement, not an ideal. The entire structure of higher education — from academic departments to peer-reviewed journals to freshman seminars — is meant to guide competing ideas into productive discourse. Contributing to the mission of the university, like being a decent citizen in a democracy, means subjecting your views to the scrutiny of others, creating an argument and a base of evidence with the power to persuade. It means thoughtfully challenging orthodoxies and theories of all kinds.
That’s why free inquiry is inherently a democratic discipline. Transforming personal viewpoints into effective political platforms requires not only persuasion but also the ability to motivate fellow citizens. Students have a right to express contempt for the views of their peers but must be taught to aim higher. That’s what free inquiry does — elevate a speech right into a civic discipline.
Preparing students for a vibrant, diverse and contentious society
Few issues have drawn as much attention to higher education in recent years as the intersection of diversity, equity, and inclusion and free expression. Motivated partisans have been eager to cast inclusion and free expression as a binary choice for campuses. Yet, American democracy continually proves that expression and inclusion are not at odds. Our diverse nation of 330 million thrives precisely because individuals are free to think, speak and engage in debate about the best path forward.
Preparing students for life in a diverse and sometimes contentious society requires a nuanced approach that rejects the false dichotomy between diversity and free expression. Instead, colleges must prioritize teaching essential citizenship skills such as speaking, listening and collaborating across differences. Humility becomes crucial in discussions, as it's impossible to grasp all views. In diverse settings, absolutes are rare, with differing outlooks even on shared experiences. This complexity challenges reliance on slogans or doctrines.
A preliminary focus on empathy, perspective-taking and recognition of the inherent dignity of others becomes critical to working in a diverse environment, either a campus or in our vastly different communities across the nation. “Priming the pump” for these capacities in every student can lay the groundwork for the learning that will come next. It can also provide a recognition that they may have the answer for one situation, but not for others.
When viewed within a broader democratic context, diversity and expression complement each other, facilitating genuine learning from people who are different and views that may be challenging.
Educating for democracy as central to higher education’s mission
Finally, educating citizens is among the earliest and most important missions of American universities, a responsibility that has taken a backseat over the past generation. However, the practices of democracy are actually more important in our fraught era.
A generation of students anxious about the future and uncertain about democracy’s effectiveness needs greater emphasis on political agency, not less. Recent polling found that a majority of 18-24-year-olds are dissatisfied with how the political system is functioning in the United States, yet still harbor pride in being American and trust in academic institutions. This highlights an opportunity for universities to empower the next generation with the optimism and skills needed for democratic engagement.
Teaching students the tenets of American identity does not mean adopting a flag-waving endorsement of our politics or our electoral system as they exist today. It means giving students the tools and the confidence to participate effectively, to offer patriotic dissent instead of jaded disaffection. They need the tools to navigate a frenetic media world. They need to understand local institutions and the role they play in holding our communities together — including the role of universities in supporting civil society.
Educating for democracy will look different on each campus. America is a vast and pluralistic country, and we have an incredibly diverse higher education system that includes religious schools, liberal arts colleges, sprawling research universities and community colleges. As Johns Hopkins President Ron Daniels, a member of our consortium, aptly notes, "Educating for democratic citizenship has never been and cannot be one-size-fits-all."
Examples of what works abound across public and private campuses. Lori White at DePauw University has implemented a first-year orientation session focusing on uplifting both free expression and diversity, equity, and inclusion within the community. Jeremy Haefner at the University of Denver has initiated "Debate Across the Curriculum," providing students with opportunities to practice civil engagement in the classroom. Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock has spearheaded a dialogue series addressing divisive issues, facilitated by faculty who co-teach and model listening and learning for students.
Participating presidents have committed to share their insights and continue innovating to promote civic readiness. While specific programs may vary, the overarching goal remains constant: Every student should graduate equipped with the knowledge, skills and duty to engage in self-government. There is much to learn from the different institutions and their approaches to achieving these goals. The more we learn, the better the ecosystem.
Higher expectations for American life
For students to become empowered citizens they must take responsibility for being:
- Civically well-informed with a deep understanding of history, culture, government, institutions, and current affairs from multiple media sources and diverse perspectives.
- Productively engaged, going beyond voting to community involvement and collaboration across difference.
- Committed to democracy, with concern for the welfare of people from all backgrounds, working to improve trust in institutions and each other, and optimistic about the future.
Elevating students’ expectations for and engagement in democratic life stands as a cornerstone of college education. The pessimism that young Americans express about the future of the country is matched by an equally striking wish for better. What's lacking is a robust understanding of how to translate these aspirations into meaningful democratic participation. This is the rallying cry answered by the 61 college presidents, reasserting a commitment to democracy at the core of higher education.
Universities are fundamentally hopeful places, rooted in the promise that knowledge and discovery can improve the human condition. The same is true of democracy. Self-government is messy, and it is hard. But democracy is the way our society welcomes the talent and aspirations of all people, the way we allow competing ideas of progress to flourish, and the way we protect our liberty. As students become more adept at civic engagement, their optimism in democracy grows, reinforcing their determination to safeguard it.
It's time for more leaders in higher education to take action and reaffirm the vital role of colleges in preparing students for effective citizenship. By recentering these civic commitments within academic life, campus leaders can assure the emerging generation that their ideals are not only worthwhile but also actively supported by our institutions as allies in the pursuit of progress.
