Academia Hurtles Towards Limbo
Thomas Jefferson is always a
reliable source for insights about education. In 1778, he wrote in A
Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge that a liberal education
is essential to protect individuals in the free exercise of their natural
rights: “whence it becomes expedient for promoting public happiness that those
persons whom nature hath endowed with genius and virtue, should be rendered by
liberal education worthy to receive, and able to guard the sacred deposit of
the rights and liberties of their fellow citizens.” Forty-seven years later
the University of
non-sectarian university cast free of religious moorings to set sail on a
But that was the fatal flaw in
educational scheme. The “sacred deposit of rights and liberties” he had
in mind in 1778 no doubt were reflective of the
Declaration of Independence; that “man is endowed by his Creator with certain
inalienable rights.” In truth, this “sacred deposit” was placed in the
bosom of the American people by God and manifests itself in the faith and
values that are historically and decidedly Judeo-Christian. So why are
mainstream American universities today deposits for relativism, leftist
ideology, political correctness, and utilitarian pursuits? Nothing sacred there. Is that any way to guard our
rights and liberties? A truly great college must foster “genius and
virtue,” as
envisioned. Intellect sans conscience is a mortal poverty.
Too many universities have either forgotten that human beings have souls or
intentionally have set about wrecking them. Corrupting the souls of
teenagers is not hard—as anyone with teenagers knows, the world does indeed
revolve around them. Thus, they fall prey to unscrupulous professors who
tell them that all that God business is really a distraction to their
self-awareness and genuine education. This has to change.
While a suffering fraternity
pledge at the
Mexico
memorize Calvin Coolidge’s Persistence, which teaches that “the world is
full of educated derelicts.” What did Silent Cal mean? The
terrorism of Dr. Ted “Unabomber” Kaczynski, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
at the University of California-Berkeley (Ph.D.,
reliable starting point. Or how about what some distinguished professors
had to say shortly after the attacks of 9/11? Dr. Richard Berthold, tenured Professor of Classical History at my alma
mater, told his freshman class that “anyone who blows up the Pentagon has my
vote.” Dr. Ward Churchill, Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University
of Colorado and a pretend American Indian, argued that the World Trade Center
victims were not innocent but played their parts in the “ongoing genocidal
American imperialism” similar to the role Nazi leader Adolf
Eichmann played in directing the Holocaust.
These guys are not atypical. They just got caught. Look at the vast
majority of “prestigious” American universities today. We see cultural
disaster areas and relativistic indoctrination camps. Professors are
stuck in the 1960s, even those who were not born until the 1970s.
Arrested adolescents are teaching actual adolescents. Veritas
and virtue and have been replaced with Marxism, post-modernism, and cultural relativism.
This is not surprising since the overwhelming majority of college professors in
the
identify themselves as hard-left Democrats. Why does it matter? Because their duly indoctrinated students are winning national
elections. More fellow travelers on the way, who just cannot wait
to run your life.
For our survival as a nation,
to advance the cause of liberty and preserve what is left of our
Judeo-Christian culture, faith and reason must infuse the life of an American
college. There is no other way to achieve excellence. Do any
institutions in our land value these imperatives? Yes, islands of sanity
do exist, thank God. How does a school arrive at excellence?
Here are what I believe to be the essential guideposts:
1. “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”
These simple words of Jesus should be our model. Schools must
recognize that truth exists, and free societies only can be built upon
truth. As Pope John Paul II said, faith and reason are “the two wings on
which human spirit rises to the contemplation of Truth.” A school should
teach students that true freedom means personal responsibility and
self-understanding, not license to do whatever they want, with whomever they
want. Institutions must seize upon the notion that relativism is the road
to perdition. For Christians, knowing and living out the Truth is
essential for happiness and salvation. For societies and nations, the
effect is analogous. The mission of a university should be uncovering
truths and applying them to our lives and our culture so that we can continue
to live as a free people. Too many universities, however, have
capitulated to post-modern culture and market it as truth. This is a
grand deception that great colleges should not tolerate. A Godless,
secular-humanist university cannot be an excellent educational
institution.
2. A great American university advances the position that Western
Civilization, known as Christendom until the nineteenth century, must be
understood and recognized as the principle historical force advancing free
societies. In so doing, it should advocate the necessity of cultivating
and defending Western Civilization. A classical education is what
needs. The institution also must understand that Western Civilization is
under attack and collapsing daily—and recognize that this is a devastating loss
for liberty and be willing to do something to arrest its collapse. Such a
position does not indicate that schools should ignore the failings of Western
Civilization, but rather teach that these failings occurred when men lost sight
of the noble purposes of our civilization. Studying civilizations which
usually are not considered “Western” but which advance universal human values
should be part of the equation. Finally, universities should acknowledge
that the principle defender, contributor to, and advocate of Western
Civilization since the collapse of the
Empire
Catholic and Protestant manifestations. Religious bigotry should not obscure
this essential historical fact.
3. A university must maintain rigorous academics and a high-quality
faculty to support its mission statement. Professors should be living
witnesses for their specialties, not mere functionaries. The university
must have a core curriculum in which all students, not just those taking
philosophy and theology courses, participate in the quest for truth. The
core ought to include an emphasis on the great books, including, of course, the
Bible. Reading what Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Augustine, Aquinas,
Dante, and Shakespeare actually wrote rather than a biased textbook
“interpretation” is essential. Latin and Greek should be required so that
students appreciate the great authors in the original languages and better
understand their own native tongue. Students must be encouraged to speak
in class, express themselves in a coherent fashion, and formulate logical
arguments. Thus, a smaller student-teacher ratio is highly
desirable. We ought to see history professors teach that greatness
existed in American civilization prior to President John F. Kennedy’s
inauguration. Economics and business professors should encourage entrepreneurism and teach that profit is beneficial to
society because of the jobs it creates. For reference student could read
Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
“Capitalism” should not be a dirty word at a great American university.
It is imperative that law students are taught that natural law is the
foundation for all law and that original intent and historical context is
important for interpreting the United States Constitution. Medical and
pharmacy students must know the Hippocratic Oath to respect life for the
miracle it is at every stage of development and “do no harm,” even to the
unborn. Political science departments cannot be retirement communities
for aging Marxists. Political science professors should critically explore
political systems, keep the common good (not economic redistribution) in mind,
promote the principles of subsidiarity, and treat
American democracy with the respect and admiration it is due. Journalism
and communications courses should instruct on “information-ethics.” Art
departments should recognize that a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe dressed
as a stripper is not genuine artistic expression. Advocates of
Intelligent Design and those who dare to question man-made global warming
should be welcomed in science departments, which should pursue the scientific
method of testing a hypothesis, not meddle in politics. Finally,
mathematics and engineering students should be taught the fundamental goodness
of order, logic and reason.
4. Participation in
one’s own religion must be encouraged. A university should have chapels
which are not just handsome, anachronistic curiosities put to more culturally
sensitive uses but are used for their original purpose. There should be
regular worship services that are well attended. The chaplain should be a
genuine man of God who recognizes that saving souls is his calling and
entertainment is not. His sense of humor must inspire students to worship
God, not himself. Another positive sign would be seminaries or
monasteries integral to campus life where appropriate.
5. If a university is Roman Catholic, it has to be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church. All professors of theology must
have the mandantum from the local bishop. The
school has to follow the great Catholic intellectual tradition consistent with Ex cordia ecclesiae.
After all, the Roman Catholic Church developed the university in the first
place: Universitas magistrorum
et scholarium. If
a school belongs to another faith community, it should be faithful to the
tenants of that community consistent with Truth and God’s moral laws.
Also, faithful Jewish schools can and should become excellent American
universities. The Christian concept of faith and reason is similar the
Jewish “Torah Umadda”: that faith knowledge and
worldly knowledge bring together a cohesive, whole truth.
6. Is there a patriotic spirit about the place
or is love of country mocked? Do students and faculty recognize that they
are blessed to be Americans, or does the “blame
crowd dominate the school? Do foreign faculty and students respect our
patriotic observances or do they belittle our country? In each case, the
answer must be the former. ROTC and military recruiters should be
welcomed on campus, not chastised and denigrated. A school’s fallen
military heroes should be duly honored. Too often students forget that
“freedom isn’t free.”
7. The arts and entertainment on campus must uphold what is
inspirational, timeless, wholesome and beautiful. That includes a
school’s architecture. It is critical that students are taught to find
the highest aspirations of the human spirit in the structure and poetry of true
art. It is equally important that filth is recognized for what it is and
tossed out with the garbage. Clean fun is cool at an excellent American
college.
8. The institutional structure and management should be morally and
financially sound. The president, governing board, administration and faculty
should be devoted to the mission of the university. The physical plant
ought to be ascetically pleasing, with an air of permanence. The campus
has to be safe. Males and females must have separate living
accommodations. As for fund raising, the school ought to raise money without
compromising its message. Professors should be paid fairly, and tuition
should not be out of line with similar schools. The endowment should be
healthy and growing. Students from all backgrounds and cultures should be
welcomed, and no acts of racial bigotry or violence can be condoned.
Protecting the dignity of the human person is essential, including freedom of
conscious. There has to be tuition assistance for the genuinely
needy. “Academic freedom” should include the responsibility to use it
wisely. It cannot be used as license for sedition and decadence.
Finally, the school must have no “speech codes” and mandatory diversity
training, since these things exist in academia for the purpose of muzzling Christian
conservatives and blaming white males for the world’s troubles.
9. All sanctioned student activities must be consistent with the
university’s mission of promoting genuine and wholesome liberal
education. The administration’s approval of leftist advocacy groups
pushing homosexual, feminist, pro-abortion and anti-life causes should
disqualify the school. Varsity and intramural athletics ought to be
promoted, while the “scholar athlete” is the model to emulate. The school
should try to develop “the whole man.” An excellent school cracks down on
alcohol problems. Temperate and gentlemanly behavior must be
encouraged—and enforced. Lady-like manners garner respect, not
guffaws. Manliness and femininity are treasured virtues at excellent
schools. Feminists and their cowed sympathizers do not emasculate the men
on campus.
10. It is imperative that a university spread its message to the larger
community. Professors should be known in a positive way in the
media. The school should be praised by like-minded peers and
publications. Honest, mainstream rating services should give the
university high marks. A significant percentage of students ought to
spend time helping the less fortunate at home and abroad, especially during “Alternative
Spring Break.” Service hours should be required. We are our
brothers’ keepers. Forums should be hosted on campus for ordinary people
from beyond the ivory tower. Guest speakers ought to share the
university’s mission, not be hostile to it.
11. The result of all this effort must speak for itself. We should
see graduates advance their religions and the principles of Western
Civilization.
Paul T. Yarbrough, J.D. is
affiliated with the Free Congress Foundation.
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