Abstract
During the 20th century, college came to be viewed as an essential credential on the path to middle-class prosperity. But in the 21st century, a growing percentage of Americans have come to doubt the value of higher education. Consequently, the future for colleges and universities has never been more uncertain.
This Article explores the rise and decline of public confidence in higher education. Part One explores how higher education gained the confidence of the American people. In the 1800s, the idea that higher education would uplift the country became an article of national faith. The 20th century saw further gains as both federal financial support for higher education and college enrollment reached unprecedented levels. As the 21st century began, higher education seemed to have unstoppable momentum. American universities dominated global rankings and attracted hundreds of thousands of foreign students.
Part Two explains why the public lost confidence in higher education in the 21st century. The public’s growing disenchantment stems from the perception that colleges and universities push political agendas, fail to teach relevant skills, and leave students with heavy debt loads. Amid growing public criticism, colleges and universities have experienced major enrollment declines in the 2010s and 2020s.
Part Three concludes by proposing reforms to revitalize higher education’s standing in public opinion. The first critical reform is to diversify the ideological make-up of colleges and universities. The second is for colleges to teach students to accept, respect, and even celebrate differences of opinion. The third is for higher education to make attracting and retaining lower-income students a priority.
Recommended Citation
Anthony J. Gaughan,
The Rise and Fall of Public Confidence in Higher Education,
104 Neb. L. Rev. 53
(2025).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nlr/vol104/iss1/5