The College Fix featured the Martin Center’s new report, From Purpose to Politics: The Decline of Three Liberal Arts Institutions, authored by Shannon Watkins, the Martin Center’s Research and Policy Fellow. The report warns that once-faith-based liberal arts colleges—Davidson College, Washington and Lee University, and Williams College—have drifted from their religious and academic foundations toward ideologically driven curricula dominated by “critical theory and grievance studies.” Watkins argues that these institutions, once devoted to shaping both intellect and character, now prioritize political conformity over truth-seeking and moral formation.
The report prompted responses from the colleges, with officials at Davidson and Washington and Lee disputing its findings. Nonetheless, Watkins and Martin Center president Jenna A. Robinson maintain that the study raises essential questions about how liberal arts education can be restored. Robinson stressed that reforming general education—especially by emphasizing history, great books, and civics—is the most important step toward renewal. Watkins called on alumni, parents, and donors to hold institutions accountable to their founding missions.
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