Advocating for the values of higher education, especially in the liberal arts and sciences, means both addressing policy challenges to our mission and powerfully affirming why our values matter broadly. Let me share three prominent examples of how we are meeting the moment with conviction and action.
Last April, we participated in the convening of higher education leaders that produced the influential Call for Constructive Engagement, of which Phi Beta Kappa was one of the original signers. Rather than framing the challenges facing higher education as a “battle” between government and our colleges and universities, this important statement reasserts the long-standing partnership that has furthered American creativity, ingenuity, and economic prosperity. The statement warns of “unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.” While acknowledging the need for “constructive reform” and “legitimate government oversight,” the statement also calls for a renewed partnership, one that recognizes what the Supreme Court has called the “four essential freedoms of the university”—to determine on academic grounds “who may teach, what may be taught, how it shall be taught, and who may be admitted to study.” Conditioning federal funding of research and education on the waiver of these freedoms undercuts this vital alliance, which has been essential to American prosperity and democracy.
The other two examples of Phi Beta Kappa’s recent advocacy relate to the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education (Compact) proposed by the Trump administration on October 1 to nine institutions and subsequently offered to all colleges and universities nationwide.
Alongside our partners, we formally urged universities to reject the Compact as the very kind of government overreach the Call for Constructive Engagement warned against. The Compact would require higher education institutions to surrender the four essential freedoms in order to receive federal support, including financial aid for students and funding for research. The Compact misconceives federal investment in education as leverage for governmental control, rather than as a shared commitment to our nation’s future. President Lyndon Johnson recognized the importance of this investment when he signed the Higher Education Act of 1965, saying, “Education in this day and age is a necessity . . . the path to achievement and fulfillment; for the Nation a path to a society that is not only free but civilized; and for that world, it is the path to peace . . . .”
Finally, and perhaps most significantly, we recognized that criticism and rejection were not enough. Together with our partners at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), Phi Beta Kappa issued the positive statement of a more constructive compact, one reaffirming the collaboration between government and higher education that has served our nation so well. In mid-October, Phi Beta Kappa and the AAC&U issued “Higher Education’s Compact with America,” a ringing endorsement of education’s role as “one of America’s greatest public trusts.” The Compact with America asserts that the fundamental mission of higher education is service to the public good and acknowledges that colleges and universities must be open to self-examination and reevaluation of their methods and approaches. As of this writing, the statement has received broad support, with scores of colleges and universities signing on to its principles.
I urge you to read the full Compact with America on our website at pbk.org/higher-educations-compact. This positive and forward-looking covenant articulates seven enduring principles of higher education “and makes corresponding promises to students, communities, and the nation.” It outlines seven enduring principles: opportunity, affordability, excellence, freedom, security, partnership, and prosperity.
Each of these principles is worthy of its own column. But allow me to highlight the principle of “security.” An education in the arts and sciences, grounded in preparing students for lives of purpose, productivity, and engagement, equips them with the tools to navigate change. The rapid and far-reaching transformations we are witnessing today are unsettling and even threatening. Such uncertainty can tempt some to trade the open, sometimes messy process of democracy for the false comfort of authoritarianism, a danger increasingly visible across the globe. As the Compact with America describes it, “higher education strengthens both personal resilience and collective safety—developing the talent that sustains economic and national security, welcoming international students who carry forward shared values, and advancing discoveries that protect and improve lives.” This understanding echoes President Johnson’s belief that education is the path to a free and civilized society, and for the world, a path to peace.
As Phi Beta Kappa launches the celebration of our 250th year, I thank you for supporting our mission, which is more important than ever. For a quarter of a millennium, throughout the history of our nation, we have worked together to strengthen and sustain a meaningful and lasting partnership between higher education and the country. With your help, we will continue this work for years to come.
Frederick M. Lawrence
Secretary and CEO
Secretary Lawrence has spoken nationally and internationally on free expression, academic freedom, and the importance of liberal arts and sciences education. This fall, he delivered a keynote address on the challenges facing higher education at the annual meeting of Universities UK, the institution representing all British universities. Over the past months, he has spoken at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, the Hertie School in Berlin, and Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia in Venice. He has addressed the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the American Council on Education, and the annual Higher Education Law & Policy conference. He has appeared on PBS NewsHour, CNN, and CBC. In addition to his role at the Society, Secretary Lawrence is a distinguished lecturer at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches “Free Speech on Campus” and “Higher Education and the Law.” He is the author of numerous articles on the topics of free expression, free inquiry, and academic freedom, and he is a co-author of the forthcoming 3rd edition of Higher Education and the Law, the leading casebook in the field.