What Is The True Purpose Of College? A College President’s Perspective
Preview:
The purpose of college has become muddied by competing demands, with employers wanting job-ready graduates, policymakers focused on cost and outcomes, and students searching for meaning and belonging alongside a credential. A college education is best understood as a combination of intellectual formation, preparation for work, and development of character and citizenship, and institutions that emphasize only one of these dimensions shortchange their students. Presidents have a responsibility to articulate that fuller purpose clearly and to align campus priorities, resources, and measures of success with it.
Originally published: September 19, 2026
Author: Matthew Scogin
Position: President
Institution: Hope College
Published by: Forbes