Loren Lippincott
With America’s education system coming under fire at all levels regarding everything from declining academic standards to the indoctrination of woke ideologies by government-sponsored schools, it’s obvious a new direction is needed. Even here in red Nebraska concerns are being expressed about the values embraced by those who teach in our university system.
I recently had an opportunity to visit with University of Nebraska President Dr. Jeff Gold. He sat in my office and we had an engaging conversation about my alma mater for nearly an hour. We discussed everything from DEI to the diversity of thought (or lack thereof) among the faculty. I shared with Dr. Gold when thinking about the education of young Nebraskans, I always think of my closest neighbors who have dirt on their boots and calluses on their hands, and ask if what we’re teaching meets the Nebraska Common Sense Standard? You know, the ethic that rules the cornfields and small towns of our state. I told the president I had often heard that sometimes when students express conservative thoughts, they face backlash from professors who do not share their mindset. He told me he has also heard these concerns, but said when asked for specific details he had never been given names or particulars. Gold asked me if I could supply him with details and the names of students who had been the subject of this treatment and invited me to contact him directly if I became aware of these instances. He said he would address them immediately and deal with them head on! I was grateful to hear this and to learn we were also of the same mind regarding the sole purpose of higher education. I told him students attend college to acquire skills to become marketable, meaning they should be evaluated on the basis of performance and merit, rather than their adherence to the current group-think! I was gratified to hear him say his philosophy was the same.
With the incoming administration in Washington, big changes appear to be ahead for education. I recently went to the DonaldJTrump.com website to see what new ideas are being put forth. What I found was an idea that appears to have merit. It is reprinted below: “In recent weeks, Americans have been horrified to see students and faculty at Harvard and other once-respected universities expressing support for the savages and jihadists who attacked Israel. We spend more money on higher education than any other country, and yet they’re turning our students into Communists and terrorists and sympathizers of many, many different dimensions — we can’t let this happen. It’s time to offer something dramatically different.
Under the plan I’m announcing today, we will take the billions of dollars that we will collect by taxing, fining, and suing excessively large private university endowments, and we will then use that money to endow a new institution called the American Academy.
Its mission will be to make a truly world-class education available to every American, free of charge, and do it without adding a single dime to the federal debt. This institution will gather an entire universe of the highest quality educational content, covering the full spectrum of human knowledge and skills, and make that material available to every American citizen online for free.
Whether you want lectures on ancient history or an introduction to financial accounting, or training in a skilled trade, the goal will be to deliver it and get it done properly, using study groups, mentors, industry partnerships, and the latest breakthrough in computing. This will be a truly top-tier education option for the people...
Most importantly, the American Academy will compete directly with the existing and very costly four-year university system by granting students degree credentials that the U.S. government and all federal contractors will henceforth recognize. The Academy will award the full and complete equivalent of a bachelor’s degree...
This will be a revolution in higher education and will provide life-changing opportunities for tens of millions of our citizens.”
I think this proposal makes a great deal of sense and I encourage my readers to visit the website to learn more.
Loren Lippincott represents Legislative District 34 in the Nebraska State Senate. Read his column in the Nance County Journal.