Something Is Going Right at Universities
Despite criticism often directed at American higher education, many dedicated teachers continue to inspire students through humanistic education. These educators emphasize deep, transformative learning that addresses fundamental questions of identity, purpose, and society. Their work reflects a longstanding tradition that values moral, intellectual, and civic development alongside practical skills.
- ▪Roosevelt Montás, a first-generation immigrant, found life-changing inspiration in classical texts and later led Columbia’s Core Curriculum.
- ▪Humanistic educators aim to equip students with tools for a meaningful, free life by engaging them in timeless philosophical and moral questions.
- ▪These teachers are found across a wide range of institutions, from elite universities to community colleges, and view education as essential to sustaining democracy.
- ▪Humanistic education emphasizes the tension between human flaws and aspirations, cultivating virtues like justice, truth, and beauty.
- ▪The Great Conversation, central to this approach, connects students with historical thinkers like Socrates, Sun Tzu, and Augustine to explore enduring human challenges.
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IdeasSomething Is Going Right at UniversitiesThere’s a ton of good stuff happening on campus these days, if you’re only willing to see it.By David BrooksIllustration by The Atlantic: Source: Laurie Michaels / Bridgeman ImagesMay 17, 2026, 8:43 AM ET ShareSave Roosevelt Montás grew up in a small mountain village in the Dominican Republic. Two days before his 12th birthday, his mother flew him up to New York, where she had found a minimum-wage job in a garment factory. A few years later, when he was a sophomore in high school, some neighbors in his apartment building threw out a bunch of books. One of them was a finely bound volume of Socratic dialogues.
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