The traditional path through higher education is becoming harder to recognize. For generations, the university served as a stable bridge to the workforce and a vital center for civic life. Today, that bridge is under immense pressure from all sides.
As tuition rises and public funding shrinks, families are forced to shoulder more of the cost at the very moment when the economic payoff feels less certain. Simultaneously, artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the labor market, disrupting the entry-level roles that once justified the degree. Students are now preparing for a world and a workforce that are shifting faster than institutions can adapt.
Beyond the financial burden, a question looms: who is the current system truly designed to serve—and who is being left behind? Universities also face mounting political scrutiny. Legislative pressures and ideological battles are testing the foundational civic mission of colleges—to protect the pursuit of knowledge and cultivate a shared democratic life.
Nicole Lynn Lewis (Generation Hope), Susan Blum (University of Notre Dame), and Paul LeBlanc (Harvard Graduate School of Education) join moderator Anya Kamenetz to navigate these pressures and answer: What is college for today—and what is at stake for our democracy if its purpose erodes?
Join us for this Cambridge Forum webinar.
