It’s choosing time in higher education. In recent decades, colleges and universities have pursued an ever-widening range of activities and purposes. But society is now asking these institutions to choose. What is their basic purpose? Which of their aims is fundamental?   

At Heterodox Academy, we believe the answer is clear. Colleges and universities’ highest purpose is the communal pursuit of knowledge through rigorous inquiry, dialogue, and discovery. As faculty push the boundaries of existing understandings, and students wrestle with challenging questions and ideas, a college or university can cultivate a uniquely creative and disciplined environment that enriches the entire society around it.

But today, many colleges and universities have become uncertain about their core purpose—and it shows. As the pursuit of knowledge becomes one possible goal among many, the core practices and habits of truth-seeking have become weak, optional, or even taboo on many campuses. Too often, conformity is rewarded over curiosity, and dissent is met with suspicion rather than engagement.

We know that meaningful change must come from within. That’s why, at HxA, we’re equipping faculty, staff, and campus leaders to build a stronger academic culture—one that honors the ideals of scholarly integrity, pluralism, and free thought.

The recommendations below are practical and principled, and can be championed from any position within the institution. Whether you’re changing a policy, launching a program, challenging a norm, or redesigning a course, there is a role for you in reforming higher education—one conversation, one decision, one campus at a time.