Epilogue

At the start of this book, I explained what ultimately drove me to the computer to sit down and start writing. The idea for this book had been swirling around in my head for a while and over the years, as I continued in my roles as both an Assistant and an Associate Dean, I saw three things come together—my personal story of getting to college, the problems I see with college today, and the problem of invasive/overparenting that I believe increases yearly.

I hope you found useful information here whether you are a parent or a student. I hope that reading this book will inspire students to navigate college differently and help their parents or guardians let them follow the path they choose. Students, please “lean in” to the learning and the experiences of college, both inside and outside of the classroom. Make braver and bolder academic choices and pursue the major you love, not the one you think will get you a better job. Landing in the major you think will get you a better job that you neither like nor are good at will not bring joy to your college experience. Parents, allow your children to pursue what they love and find challenging.

The Future of Higher Education

Having now described the history of higher education, the enduring value of the liberal arts, and the destructive rise of snowplow/bulldozer parenting, it is important that I synthesize the key themes that have emerged. Throughout the history of higher education, universities and colleges have evolved in response to societal changes, economic demands, and shifting cultural values. From the classical education of the ancient world to the emergence of modern research universities, higher education has played a central role in shaping both individual lives and the broader trajectory of human progress. Yet, the current challenges facing higher education—particularly the devaluation of the liberal arts, an increasing consumerist culture, the increasing forced connection between college and career, and the increasing dominance of parental overreach—signal a pivotal moment that calls for deep reflection on what education means (and should mean) in today’s world.

Though much has been written on where higher education is headed over the next few years and decades, many of the books and articles were published before COVID-19 struck the U.S. (and the world) in March 2020. The pandemic had, and continues to have, a profound impact on all aspects of higher education. A colleague sent me a May 3, 2021, article entitled “Disruption and the Future of Higher Education and Advancement.”¹ The article summarized the results of a panel that was held to discuss the future of higher education, especially considering the global pandemic and the lack of leadership (and I will add sanity) at the national level. A few statements or issues from the article resonated with me and I want to share them here.

The first point is:

“… from the chaos, higher education and the advancement organizations that support it will emerge stronger. Higher education learned it can change, and that nimble institutions are more resilient.”²

I think this will prove to be true. All colleges struggled, and not just financially. There was no roadmap for a global pandemic; there was no other college or university to call to ask, “What did you do when a global pandemic hit your school?” We are not fully past the consequences of COVID-19 yet and likely will not be for a while. Several colleges closed their doors for good. Mills College in Oakland, California, Concordia College and Iona College in New York, Urbana University in Ohio and MacMurray College in Illinois all closed.³ Iowa Wesleyan University, Cardinal Stritch University, and Cabrini University, among others, also closed.⁴

The second point from Baldwin’s article that resonated with me is:

“Chaos in the upper levels of government led to an eroding level of trust in institutions in general. Higher education was not immune.”⁵

What role should and does a college degree play in our society? What is its value? Can it be a safe space, and an educational space, to talk about race, equity, gender, political issues, socioeconomic status, and/or poverty? Higher education is not perfect, but I still believe in the power of education and all that comes from it. We should all fight to keep higher education strong and to make it affordable for anyone who wants to attend.

Finally, Baldwin’s concluding statement is an optimistic one:

“…higher education will not only survive the three-ring circus of disruption—COVID-19, a volatile reawakening of the discussion around equality and civil rights, and a severely divisive political atmosphere—it will thrive.”⁶

I believe this to be true based on my experience during and after the pandemic.

On the other side, an opinion piece in The Chronicle of Higher Education made the following assertion: “The increasing need for upskilling and reskilling caused by automation, the knowledge explosion, and the pandemic will tilt the balance toward more educational programs that are closely aligned with the labor market and provide certificates, micro-credentials, and badges—not degrees.”⁷ I hope this is not true. Clearly, we need programs aligned with the labor market and tradespeople to serve those roles. However, we also need to value learning and education and all that happens during that process regardless of what one does for a job and career over their lifetime.

The Role of AI in Higher Education: Today and the Future

A relatively new issue facing higher education (and all levels and forms of education) is artificial intelligence (AI). It is transforming education in profound ways, from personalized learning experiences to automated administrative processes. As AI continues to evolve, its influence on teaching methodologies, student engagement, and institutional operations is becoming increasingly apparent. Its relationship to cheating is also an area with which many faculty are struggling. Here, I briefly explore the current impact of AI in higher education and speculate on what the future might hold.

A 2024 Educause study aptly describes the appropriate and inappropriate uses of AI.⁸ On a positive note, some of the significant contributions of AI in higher education today include personalized learning. AI-powered platforms, such as adaptive learning systems, can analyze students’ performance in real-time and adjust content delivery accordingly. This approach ensures that learners receive instruction tailored to their individual needs, which in turn enhances comprehension and retention.⁹ AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants, such as IBM’s Watson Tutor or ChatGPT-based systems, provide immediate support to students, answering questions and offering guidance outside of traditional classroom hours. AI can also streamline administrative tasks, allowing institutions to function more efficiently. Universities can use AI to automate admissions processes, predict student retention risks, develop communications, and optimize course scheduling. On the other hand, inappropriate uses include lack of human oversight and plagiarism.¹⁰ AI-driven plagiarism detection tools, such as Turnitin, can help maintain academic integrity by analyzing submissions against vast databases of scholarly work, but these tools are not perfect. In addition, ideally our goal as faculty is to teach, not catch students cheating.

The faculty members I have spoken with are grappling with how to effectively assess students in the age of AI. Some rely on carefully proctored, in-class, multiple-choice and true/false exams, where AI-assisted cheating is difficult. However, for those of us who have traditionally assigned essays and written papers, preventing students from using AI-generated content is a significant challenge. While AI-generated writing can sometimes be detected, it is not always obvious. Recognizing AI-generated text differs from identifying traditional plagiarism, where students copy directly from online sources like Wikipedia.

Years ago, while reading a poorly written student paper, one well-crafted sentence stood out. A quick Google search immediately led me to the uncited source, making it clear the student had copied most of the text. In contrast, determining whether a student used AI to generate a five-page paper which they then edit is more difficult. As a result, unless faculty shift to in-class, oral exams, many are struggling to find reliable ways to measure student learning outcomes.

Looking ahead, AI is expected to play an even more integral role in shaping higher education. One foreseeable change is the expansion of AI-driven virtual classrooms. With the advancement of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), AI can facilitate immersive learning experiences that replicate real-world scenarios. For instance, medical students could use AI-powered simulations to practice surgeries in a risk-free environment, and engineering students could engage in AI-driven design projects. AI may play more of a role in college admissions which could be either good or bad depending on how it is programmed and used.

AI is already making a significant impact on higher education. Determining how best to move forward and harness the advantages is something that education will need to figure out.¹¹

The Role of the Liberal Arts in Education

At the heart of the liberal arts lies a commitment to the broad-based education that fosters intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and the ability to synthesize complex ideas. The liberal arts encourage a more holistic approach to learning. This tradition of education emphasizes the importance of questioning assumptions, engaging with diverse perspectives, and developing skills that transcend a single discipline.

Despite its clear benefits, the liberal arts face ongoing threats. The corporatization of higher education, with its emphasis on metrics and marketable skills, has led many institutions to cut funding for the humanities and social sciences. This trend undermines the very essence of higher education, reducing it to a transactional process that views students as consumers and degrees as commodities. To preserve the value of a liberal arts education, universities must resist these pressures and reassert their commitment to developing well-rounded, thoughtful individuals capable of contributing meaningfully to society. I truly believe it is a liberal arts degree that will allow students to pivot to new challenges and careers as they move through the world of work.

Parenting Down the Road

Here is what no one tells you when you have small children: it does not get easier as your children get older, it gets harder (and harder). Just as our children become fascinating adults that you would love to be friends with and spend all your time with, they leave—and they should! In an ideal world, they build their own new lives, sometimes very far away.

And when things do not go well, the problems are also bigger. I mentioned this German expression earlier: “Kleine kinder, kleine Sorgen,” which translates to “the bigger the children, the bigger the worries.” I am not referring to a failed test, low grades, or the social and academic stresses of college. I am talking about broken relationships, lost jobs, failed auditions, failed interviews, divorces, miscarriages, deaths, etc. Our children may call us to talk about these things and here is the heartbreaking news: we cannot fix these problems. Or they may just call to say they need support and add they do not want to talk about their problems. If we live nearby, we may be fortunate enough to go visit, if asked, for a few days and hug them. However, many times we are busy with our lives, travelling, working, too far away, or the trip would cost too much. If they have not learned any coping mechanisms along the way, if they lack the grit and strength they need, then these more difficult things will be much, much harder. And if they outlive us, as they should, what will happen when we are gone if we are still solving their problems for them when they are in their 30s, 40s, and 50s?

I believe the smaller tough times help us learn how to cope. If we never face them, the big losses become bigger. This means we must stop fixing everything for our children. We have to stop intervening and let them learn from mistakes when they are young adults.

A blog post by author Heather Plett from October 23, 2023,¹² touched on all these points. Her post covers these topics and the issue of parenting adult children from afar. The section I love is close to the conclusions:

“Our children don’t need enmeshed or codependent parents. They don’t need fixers who will disempower them when they swoop in with solutions. They don’t need us to become overly attached to their identity, their emotional experience, or the outcome of their decisions.

They need a safe place where they can fall apart occasionally. They need to know that they won’t be abandoned (or fixed) when they fail. They need to be allowed to have big emotions without having those emotions shamed, ridiculed, fixed, or projected back at them. They need to be allowed the autonomy to discover their own resilience and their own tools for navigating hard places. They need us to hold space for them—with a love that’s not enmeshed.”¹³

This is true now and likely always will be. We learn from our mistakes and our failures as much as we learn from our successes. Life is hard and unfair. At the same time, humans have amazing resilience and we survive unimaginable things in our lives. Some of us are luckier than others. Our children must learn from life too.

The history of higher education, the value of the liberal arts, and the dangers of snowplow parenting all converge around a common theme: the importance of fostering independence, critical thinking, and personal growth. Higher education, at its best, is not simply about acquiring a degree or preparing for a career. It is about shaping individuals who can think deeply, act ethically, and contribute meaningfully to society. In the College of Arts & Sciences at UVA, when we rewrote our general education curriculum in 2017, we talked at length about preparing “citizens of the world.” We imagined individuals who could adapt to the several roles life will offer them: parent, child, aunt, uncle, guardian, grandparent, employee, employer, citizen, partner, spouse, and so on.

As we move forward, both educators and parents must work to ensure that the next generation of students has the freedom and support to fully engage with the transformative potential of higher education. And we must make it affordable for everyone who wants to attend. Thus, in closing I wish you resilience, strength, peace, and the power to let your children go and grow.