Permanent link for The Purpose of the University - Part 1 on April 19, 2023

Panelists:
- Andrew Spear Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, GVSU
- Alisha Davis, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President for the Social Justice Centers and Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, GVSU
- Dwayne Tunstall, Ph.D., Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, GVSU

Moderator: Michael DeWilde, Director, Koeze Business Ethics Initiative and Professor of Management, Seidman College of Business, GVSU

 

NYU professor Jonathan Haidt, author of The Coddling of the American Mind, among other works, gave a talk at Duke University in 2016 arguing that a university can have only "one telos," or purpose, and that we find ourselves in an age where the traditional purpose of a university - the pursuit of truth - is being eclipsed by another "sacred value," that of social justice. While of course not opposed to social justice, Haidt does conclude that in the end making it the central value of a university is harmful to all involved. He implicates that pursuit in a number of ills, among them plummeting trust in universities and the erosion of academic freedom. 

On March 30, 2023, three GVSU professors and administrators joined Michael DeWilde, the director of the Koeze Business Ethics Initiative (the KBEI) at the Seidman College of Business, to discuss Haidt’s points.

Posted by Andrea Zorrilla on Permanent link for The Purpose of the University - Part 1 on April 19, 2023.