Institutional Neutrality Is a Cop-out: Colleges Must Speak with Their Own True Voices
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2025
For many of us, the narrowing of educational mission and the neutrality that so well accords with it eviscerates the university’s key educational aspirations. We certainly want to train students at the highest levels in the various disciplines; we want not only to impart knowledge but teach the skills that will allow them to pursue truth themselves, critically evaluate proposed answers to central questions, and argue persuasively for their own view. But we also want to provide an environment in which they develop empathy toward those who are different, compassion for those who suffer, a thirst for justice, and the virtues needed to live a good life. We hope that during a young person’s time in college they will grow morally as well as intellectually. This broader education is achieved not by issuing moral dictums but by encouraging the study and discussion of ethics across the disciplines, facilitating conversations and reflection around moral questions and life’s purpose and, when needed, challenging and being open to challenge when behavior falls short. In this endeavor, it is essential to articulate institutional values and the implications that flow from them.