The Martin Center’s Research and Policy Fellow, Shannon Watkins, wrote an op-ed examining how once-faithful liberal arts colleges have strayed from their founding missions. Drawing on her report, From Purpose to Politics: The Decline of Three Liberal Arts Institutions, Watkins traces how Davidson College, Washington and Lee University, and Williams College—all founded with explicitly Christian purposes—have abandoned their religious and academic roots in favor of progressive ideology. She explains that these schools, once dedicated to shaping both intellect and character, now prioritize “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives, often at the expense of free inquiry and academic rigor.
Watkins argues that this decline stems from a failure to preserve the classical understanding of education as the formation of the whole person—intellectually, morally, and civically. Instead, these institutions have embraced politicized aims and career-oriented training, leaving students without a deeper sense of meaning. She concludes that college leaders must reclaim their original values and rearticulate the true purpose of education: the pursuit of truth and virtue.
To read the full piece, visit The Imaginative Conservative.