By Anne Tria Wise and Delainey Boyd-Whaley
As crocuses push through thawing soil in March, they remind us that growth takes effort and care. Higher education works much the same way: students, programs, institutions, and ideas need thoughtful attention amid change and uncertainty.
The challenges are real. Funding constraints, public skepticism, and political debates over the value of the liberal arts and sciences put institutions under strain. Our winter column, “Acting Now for the Future of Higher Education,” highlighted these pressures and called on members to engage with purpose, protecting both the mission and measurable impact of colleges and universities.
Yet even in this context, progress is possible. Students, faculty, campus leaders, and alumni can visibly demonstrate how higher education prepares individuals to contribute meaningfully, shapes communities, and safeguards democracy. This spring, Phi Beta Kappa members and friends can take these practical steps to strengthen higher education:
Engage locally: Attend lectures, workshops, or community events that connect higher education with civic life through the Society’s Visiting Scholar program, association events, chapter campuses, or local nonprofits.
Support arts and sciences students and recent graduates directly:
Offer informational interviews or guidance in areas of expertise when possible. On LinkedIn, many of the Society’s recent grads post requests for guidance or leads at #HireaPhiBete.
Advocate selectively: Focus on policies or programs at the state and federal level where your voice can influence campus outcomes, such as research funding, academic freedom, free expression, financial aid, cultural investments, and state public higher education funding at toolkit.pbk.org.
Share credible evidence of impact: Make visible the tangible contributions of arts and sciences institutions and graduates that benefit all Americans at the local, state, and federal level to your social networks.
This spring, Phi Beta Kappa’s milestone anniversary invites us to renew our commitment to arts and sciences education—not just through grand gestures, but also through focused and thoughtful contributions that support students, strengthen institutions, and uphold the values at the heart of the Society’s mission. By weaving knowledge and deliberate action together, we can prepare a generation to step into uncertainty with curiosity, courage, and purpose, much as they did in 1776.
Anne Tria Wise is Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy, and Delainey Boyd-Whaley is Deputy Director of Policy & Advocacy at Phi Beta Kappa.