Higher Education as a Path to Purpose

Every young American deserves a chance to find purpose. (This is really important to me.) That purpose may come from a four-year university, but it can also come from community college, apprenticeship, the trades, military service, or entrepreneurship. My concern, both as a college administrator and as an American, isn’t simply expanding access to education, but ensuring the education we provide—at every level—is rigorous, meaningful, and directed toward preparing young people for lives of responsibility and contribution.

Higher education should not be a one-size-fits-all assembly line. Purpose can be found in a classroom, a laboratory, on a military base, a construction site, or in a garage. I don’t want every young person to be pushed into the same mold, but instead given the tools, standards, and opportunities to live meaningful lives.

I have made it my mission to fight for strong colleges and strong communities—because throwing money at education or lowering standards won’t solve the real problems. Young men and women deserve more than slogans; they deserve a path to purpose.

Too often, we send a message that the only respectable path is one that involves a university. That leaves many young men and women feeling alienated or like failures if they don’t follow that route. Purpose should be honored whether it’s found on a college campus or elsewhere.
Expanding access means little if what students access is watered down or ideological. Colleges and universities must resist both lowering standards and implementing ideological and divisive fashions like DEI. What matter more are truth-seeking, knowledge, and excellence.
Too many young people are adrift, falling behind academically and socially. And too often they turn to destructive influences for meaning. Education—broadly defined—can and should offer them a healthy path forward.
Purpose-driven citizens, whether college graduates or skilled tradespeople, strengthen families, communities, and the nation as a whole.

Why it Matters

Encourage parity of esteem between community colleges, trades, apprenticeships, and military service—so no young person feels their path is “lesser” if it doesn’t involve a four-year degree.
Push back against lowering admissions or curricular standards; excellence and rigor must remain at the heart of higher education.
Incentivize programs that prioritize mentorship, civic education, and personal growth—not just career placement or political activism.
Expand access to high-quality community college-sponsored vocational training and apprenticeships so students graduate into purpose-filled lives, whether they attend a four-year institution.
Support reforms that make both college and trades training affordable, while holding institutions accountable for student outcomes.