As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, higher education stands at a crossroads. Our colleges and universities face a convergence of challenges, public expectations, financial uncertainty, political and public scrutiny and rapid technological change. These are not isolated crises but a defining test of purpose and public trust.
The Civic Mission Under Strain
From the founding of Harvard and the land-grant universities through the GI Bill and the civil rights era, American higher education has been a steward of the potential of a constitutional republic, educating not only workers but also citizens. Yet in 2026, that civic mission is at risk of being eclipsed by economic anxieties and inflamed ideologies often grounded in false narratives. Students now approach college as a transactional pathway to employment, often under the shadow of debt and skepticism about the value of a degree. This focus, while understandable, threatens to diminish the deeper work of preparing graduates for participation in a free society, according to Peter N. Stearns, in answer to the question, “Why Study History?”
Financial pressures are ever-present. The cost of college continues to climb, and too often, public funding and loan programs have been transformed from ladders of opportunity into lifelines for struggling institutions, as I reflected in 2015 in “Five Not So Easy Pieces.” As Pell Grants and student aid become the norm rather than the exception, universities must confront hard questions about value, transparency and access, especially for first-generation and lower-income students. Little has changed in a decade.
Faculty members, long the custodians of academic freedom and open inquiry, now find themselves at the center of cultural consternation. Attempts to dictate curriculum, restrict debate or curtail the teaching of history and government (sometimes from within, and sometimes from without) pose profound risks to the university’s role as a forum for learning in a constitutional republic, as outlined in a 2020 column titled “Engagement.” At the same time, advances in artificial intelligence challenge traditional models of teaching, assessment and intellectual responsibility.
Institutional leaders face a relentless financial landscape: declining enrollments, demographic shifts and rising operational costs. Program cuts and mergers are now common. Yet a singular focus on balance sheets can erode the very civic mission that justifies public support. As I cautioned in August 2024, “Institutional survival at all costs, if driven by fierce competition for fewer students with hollow promises rather than substantive offerings, leads nowhere but ruination.”
Staff and student-facing professionals, boards and trustees shoulder much of the daily work of supporting students through crises of mental health, financial insecurity and belonging. Their contributions are indispensable, yet burnout is widespread. Institutions cannot sustain their civic mission without sustaining those who carry it out, as I noted in “Regional universities need to foster civic engagement.” Their decisions and actions shape whether institutions adapt creatively or retreat defensively, thereby determining which path they take.
Outside the campus gates, legislators and employers exert growing influence. Policymakers demand accountability and alignment with workforce needs, often measured in narrow economic terms. Employers want graduates who are adaptable and technologically fluent, sometimes questioning whether traditional degrees can deliver these outcomes. Yet, as the Association of American Colleges and Universities has shown, critical thinking and civic understanding remain highly valued by employers.
Public trust is fragile. Universities are still seen as engines of opportunity, but also as distant, expensive or ideologically insular. The central question is not whether higher education matters, but whether it is fulfilling its public purpose.
The challenges of 2026 are not merely financial or technological; they are existential. Higher education must reconcile economic realities with educational values, innovation with human learning and public accountability with institutional autonomy. “Breadth isn’t a luxury; it’s the foundation of judgment, numeracy, communication and civic understanding.” A rigorous, respected core, rooted in history, critical thinking and ethical reasoning, is essential. And, it is AWOL in too many institutions.
Civic engagement is not an extracurricular activity but a core responsibility. As I have previously observed, “Engaged citizenship is only possible when history is the glue that cements communities together.” Universities must create spaces where values can be debated, diverse perspectives can be encountered and the habits of self-government can be renewed.
As America marks its 250th year, colleges and universities cannot assume their civic role will be taken for granted. It must be claimed, explained and renewed. Success in 2026 and beyond will depend on aligning financial sustainability with civic purpose, technological innovation with human judgment and academic freedom with citizenship’s responsibilities. These dualities make institutions and society work.
The stakes are clear: What is being decided now is not just how colleges and universities operate, but what they are for and whether the public will continue to trust in them at all.
Walter V. Wendler is the President of West Texas A&M University. His weekly columns are available at https://walterwendler.com/.
