At the Helm
A CONVERSATION WITH THE PRESIDENTS OF OUR BERKSHIRE COLLEGES
By Dr. Joshua Sherman
Photos by Gregory Cherin
IN AUGUST, prior to the start of the academic year, Berkshire Magazine invited the newly appointed Diana Rogers-Adkinson, President of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA); the newly arrived Hara D. Charlier, President of Berkshire Community College (BCC);and the established President of Williams College, Maud Mandel, to sit down for a conversation. It was the first time the three women had been in the same room. One might even call it an “historic meeting,” since 2026 marks the first time that three simultaneous Berkshire college presidents are all female. The three women demonstrated warmth, humor, candor, collegiality, and intelligence throughout the conversation. After spending a short time with these three impressive leaders, I can assure you that we are very fortunate to have them at the helm of higher education in the Berkshires. The interview opened with an exploration of their core leadership approaches.
One of the greatest challenges of being a college president, I would assume, is navigating so many different voices and needs. It’s a complicated job. What is your general approach to problem solving?
Mandel: I would say I pretty much always adopt the same approach to all problems, which is to break the problem into small pieces and only try to solve, in the next day, what I can do next. I have found—and have said to many people on my staff over and over—that if you try to figure out how to get to the top of the mountain while you’re standing at the bottom of the mountain, you often don’t take a step. It can be pretty paralyzing when it’s a really steep mountain. But all you really have to figure out is how to get to the next path, the next bend in the road... I really try to think about what the next thing is that we have to do in order to get to that long-term strategic goal.
Charlier: I appreciate you talking about how complicated the job is, but the truth is we’re really lucky to be able to do this work. We really are. So my approach to problem-solving—and what I’d recommend that students do—is recognize that we’re not the smartest people in the room. I once knew someone who said, with great passion, “You get no credit for doing this by yourself.” And I think that’s absolutely true. So, we try to surround ourselves with people who have very different perspectives, be open to input, and really ask the hard questions.I think, for me, that’s how we get to the best decision. And then the other piece is to always remember why we’re here. It’s our “why.” For us at BCC, that’s students. There are a lot of solutions to problems, but when we distill it down to what’s best for students, it becomes pretty clear what we need to do.
Rogers-Adkinson: We lead pretty similarly from that “student-first” perspective. That’s always kind of my true north. I also tend to go toward the data. I’m a data-driven kind of person. I think that comes out of my background in special education. You set goals, you measure them, you track them. So, when somebody brings an issue forward, I always ask, “What’s the impact on students if we do this, don’t do this, or modify this? What will it change for them and their ability to meet the goals that they’ve trusted us to help them achieve?”
Dr. Mandel, you said that you startat the bottom of the mountain, knowing you want to get to the top, and you focus on what’s next. How do you determine what the top of the mountain is?
Mandel: Sometimes you know. Sometimes you don’t. When you asked the question, you were specifically asking about how we each problem solve, and there have been some famous problems since I’ve been president here. Covid is a good example. Where we had to go was obvious, right? We had to educate students despite the pandemic. So how do we figure out how to do that? I would agree with my colleagues that I sometimes think people have a view of leadership— maybe in the United States, maybe in the West more broadly—that one person who’s the leader is supposed to have the answer, supposed to know where to go, supposed to know where the end of the road is. I actually don’t think that’s really what leadership is. (Turning to Charlier.) You alluded to this in your answer: I think that it’s about finding the smart people in the room, or on the campus, or in the community, talking to them, and getting their ideas and their input. During Covid, one of the great resources I had were many alumni who are specialists in all kinds of medical fields. What did I know about immunology and epidemiology? Nothing. But they did. So you find those people, whatever the issue is, and you inform yourself. You learn. You proceed with curiosity. We teach lifelong learning, and so we practice that. Then, from there, you figure out how to build and steer forward. So, I don’t think you always know where you’re headed. Sometimes you do. But you don’t always know.
Who are your sounding boards?
Rogers-Adkinson: One is my board chair. She and I are developing a really nice relationship. Actually, I think we bonded over Australian Shepherds. That was a good way to start our conversations together. I’m also in a large cohort of 20 “new presidents” who are all state-school presidents with similar kinds of missions and visions for their institutions. The 20 of us kind of have our own little base camp together, in addition to some senior mentors through that program, as well. They’re seasoned veterans who occasionally interrupt the newbies and say, “Don’t!” and then give us much better advice. It’s really nice to be part of a cohort that’s developing its leadership together.
Charlier: I think we have sounding boards at all sorts of different levels. There are topics where I’ll go to a student leader and ask questions just to get a sense of how students are thinking about something. Other times it’s colleagues within the institution. But when we have really serious issues to deal with―and the material is sensitive—then I really wantto go to someone who understands the complexity of the work that we do. Like Diana, I’m very fortunate to have a great board chair that I can call and simply say, “I just need to talk through something with you.” I’m also part of a group of 15 community college presidents who are incredibly supportive of one another. And higher education is a really small world. For most of us, we have networks that stretch all across the country. You can simply pick up the phone and say, “I’m dealing with this.” If you’re calling another college president, in most cases they’ve dealt with it, too. Except Covid. Nobody had dealt with Covid. But almost every other problem isn’t really all that unique. So, I tend to look toward people who really understand the complexity of the work and can help me process it. I’m just very fortunate to have those kinds of networks.
Mandel: I’m not sure I have much else to add. Obviously, in some ways it depends on the issue. There are times when talking with faculty is the first place I go, because it’s a curricular issue or an educational issue. If I’m building a building—that’s not who I go talk to. Of course, the “I” in that sentence is ridiculous, because “I” certainly never build a building. I really try to figure out who the experts are in the area I’m trying to learn about, think about, or move forward. Sometimes students are absolutely the right sounding board, because whatever we’re talking about is going to affect them first and foremost, so we want to know what they think. Beyond that, my husband is tremendously important. My children can be pretty important, at times. My mother was, before she passed away. Obviously, I’m not sharing sensitive institutional matters with people who aren’t part of the institution. But there are lots of things where you’re simply talking through the issues. And then, of course, my senior staff and my board are really the key partners every day.
I was going to ask if you’ve used each other as sounding boards, but this is the first time the three of you have actually been in the same room together, correct?
Mandel: Yes, it is. We actually have a coffee date that we’re trying to organize. And we’re trying to organize a dinner for the three of us, as well as the new president of Bennington College, who’s also just arrived.
Well, thank you for taking the time to do your first interview together with us at Berkshire Magazine! We started the conversation with your approaches to problem solving. Let’s discuss leadership. What leadership lesson did you learn in your formal training that has been indispensable? And what is a leadership lesson you’ve learned that no classroom could have ever taught you?
Charlier: The thing I learned from one of my mentors—and I’ve been so fortunate to have some incredible mentors—is that bad news does not get better with time. Ever. There’s a tendency, I think, for some leaders to kind of sit on bad news and think about it for a really long time. Not that we shouldn’t be thoughtful—we absolutely should—but if you’ve got bad news to deliver, you really need to bite the bullet, find the best and most sensitive way to deliver it, and then do it. That’s probably the formal lesson that is constantly in my mind. Informally, it comes back to something I mentioned earlier. We’re all about students. We’re all about our communities. And we work with incredible colleagues. People often talk about leadership as balancing tasks with relationships, almost as though you have to choose which is more important. For me, relationships win, hands down, every day. I often talk to senior leaders—particularly those who are new to an organization—and tell them that eventually they’re going to face a challenge where they’ll have to decide: Am I going to be efficient and productive and get this done? Or am I really going to take care of people? For me, it’s always people first. The rest will come. That’s probably the biggest lesson that lived experience has taught me.
Rogers-Adkinson: If I go all the way back, probably the very first thing that really changed me happened in undergraduate school—in my first communications class. I cried during every single speech. I had gotten F’s all the way through high school, becauseI was terrified of standing up in frontof people. I just couldn’t do it. But a particular professor basically looked at me and said, “No. You’re not crying your way through this class.” He really took me under his wing. We spent time just talking through the fear. That unlocked something in me. Now, here I am in a role where public speaking is my every day. That professor unlocked a skill set that had really been hidden. It became one of my superpowers as a leader—the ability to communicate in all sorts of different settings and also to watch people. I hate being on Zoom because I can’t watch body language. I want to see how people are emotionally responding to what we’re talking about, whetherit’s a difficult problem, good news, bad news, or just being together at a barbecue with students. Everything is about communication and the relationships you build from that. That all goes back to those early lessons from that amazing professor and mentor.
Mandel: The most fundamental lessons that I continue to draw on are how to write, how to communicate, how to hunt for evidence—whether that’s data or some other kind—and maybe most importantly, how to stay curious. I think, in some ways, all of those transferable skills are driven by a basic curiosity about people, about how the world works, and about how systems work. I’m a historian by discipline, and historians study change over time. I think a lot of the things I learned as a historian have actually become fundamental tothe way I think about institutions—how institutions change, how they adapt, and how you sustain that change through both challenging times and good times. Academically, that’s certainly been core. Outside the classroom, though, so much of this job is that, as long as you’re honest, you’re learning every single day from other people. That lesson itself—that there’s always more to learn—has been incredibly helpful. When you’re at the top of an organization, people assume you’re supposed to know all the answers. So staying open to that sense of curiosity and wonder has really been crucial.
You mentioned curiosity, and all three of you were nodding along, and I would certainly agree with that, based on my own experience in so many different fields, including medicine. Physicians often talk about burnout, and I would imagine that’s very common in academia, as well. What are some of the things that you do for your own mental health and well-being?
Mandel: I’m a big walker, and that’s become a large part of my routine in the Berkshires, because it’s such a beautiful place. I really try to carve out time every day for a walk whenever I can. Family and close friends are also a very significant part of it. Actually, one of the things that I was going to mention in response to the previous question fits here, too: Laughing. One of the biggest lessons through some of the most challenging times has been remembering to have a sense of humor. It helps me, and it helps everybody around me. So, anything I can do to laugh is good. Reading, too. Those are probably the biggest things.
Charlier: I couldn’t agree more about laughter and having fun. And any time I can spend outside is incredibly healing. That’s one of the reasons the Berkshires were such an attraction for us. We’re huge animal people, so we spend a lot of time with our animals. Between being outside, spending time with family, and being around animals— that’s really where I recharge. I also paint. Not well... but I do paint. Those are the things I try to carve out just a little time for, because they make me better at being the wife I want to be, the mother I want to be, the friend I want to be, and ultimately, the president I want to be.
Rogers-Adkinson: Well, the Border Collie and the Australian Shepherd make sure I walk every morning. Usually we’re out the door by six o’clock. So, they make sure I move, which is important, because I only really feel good if I’m getting enough exercise. The most protected time for me is lunch. I have to eat. If I don’t eat, I get “hangry,” and nobody wants to work with me. So my most protected hour of the dayis lunch. I usually get into the office early—right after walking the dogs—but if somebody wants to take my lunch hour, they’re in big trouble. Being outside is also really important. Ironically, the first two spaces we set up in the president’s house weren’t even inside the house. They were the deck and the big wraparound porch. There are still boxes everywhere else, but we can go sit outside, look at the mountains, and we’re okay.
You’ve all mentioned the beauty of the Berkshires. What are some of your favorite places?
Charlier: The Dream Away Lodge. Absolutely amazing. It takes a little while to get there, but it’s just magical. It’s one of those places where I honestly thought, “I’ve never really experienced anything quite like this before.” It has great energy. Wonderful culture. The night we were there, they had an open mic. No—I did not sing, but my daughter did. Our colleagues were there, and they made my family feel incredibly welcome, which in turn made us feel incredibly welcome in the Berkshires.
Mandel: You already found The Dream Away?!
Charlier: It absolutely blew my mind.
Rogers-Adkinson: My son’s a sculptor, so MASS MoCA is always one of our destinations. It’s become one of those places where we go to think creatively and see what other artists are doing. The arts here are just such an incredible draw. The exposure and opportunities our students have are amazing. Just being able to be in those spaces and watch people create is incredibly inspiring.
Mandel: For me, it’s Mount Greylock, Pine Cobble, Hopkins Memorial Forest— really any place outdoors that’s hikeable. Those are probably my favorite places. There are others, too, but if I have free time, that’s usually where I go.
The fall term is almost here. Let’s talk about what’s new and exciting at each of your schools. What’s happening at MCLA?
Rogers-Adkinson: One of the things we’re really excited about is that our very first nursing cohort graduates this year. That’s going to open up a lot of new partnerships for us once that first cohort graduates and we have that data. We also have the Center for Science and Innovation being built right now. That’s going to continue to strengthen the relationship we already have with MASS MoCA through programming and collaboration. Another exciting thing is seeing our partnership with Berkshire Community College working exactly the way we’d hoped. We’re seeing tremendous transfer growth between our two institutions. Overall, first-time students and transfer students combined are up about 23 percent this year. When you’re a small institution, that’s a really big deal.
Charlier: I’m glad you mentioned the BCC and MCLA partnership, because free community college continues and really opens doors for people, particularly those who live here in Berkshire County. We’re very excited about that. Many of our students are part-time students or adult learners, and they bring incredible energy and life experience with them. We’re also working on a new HVAC program on the workforce side, which is something we’re really excited about. Community colleges are the community’s college. “Community” is literally in our name, and when there is a need in the community, that’s where we go. Right now, there’s tremendous demand for HVAC technicians, so we’re building that program. The last thing I’ll mention is that we’ve renamed our library to recognize Ruth Edmonds Hill, and we’re going to have a wonderful grand opening celebration around that. There’s just great energy on campus. Personally, I’m really looking forward to meeting more students.
Mandel: At Williams, we’re launching a very substantial investment in our athletics facilities, which I’m really excited about, because they’ll serve the broader community, as well. It’s a multi-year project, but eventually there will be a new fitness center, pool, skating rink, and a number of facilities that the community will be able to enjoy. And of course, if you drove into town today, you saw the new art museum. We’re about a year away from cutting the ribbon. Last week, I toured the building for the first time in quite a while, and I have to say, it’s going to be remarkable. It’s a beautiful building. I often say that this project is really a stake in the ground for the humanities, because it’s about integrating the arts into the education of every Williams student, no matter what they study. At the same time, it’s also a tremendous contribution to the community. It creates another connection between Williams, MASS MoCA, the Clark, MCLA, and the incredible arts corridor that exists throughout this region. That’s something we’re all very excited about.
Whether it’s alumni with certain expectations, adult students returning to school, 18-year-olds arriving for the first time, faculty, or board members—you have multiple generations all interacting within the same institution. How do you navigate those generational differences and expectations?
Mandel: All three of us have really come back to “mission” in different ways throughout this conversation. At Williams, the mission is educating undergraduate students. The way I think about it is simply this: What do young people need today in order to be successful when they graduate and go on to live lives of meaning, purpose, and service? If that’s what drives us, then the answers begin to emerge. Many of the core liberal arts capacities that we teach have remained remarkably consistent over decades. Writing. Communication. History. Critical thinking. Those things remain. But if you compare the curriculum at Williams today with the curriculum from the middle of the 19th century, there’s actually very little overlap. The curriculum evolves, even though our commitment to the liberal arts remains. If you begin with the mission, then it’s much easier to explain why you might teach something differently today than 50 years ago. We’re really asking what do today’s students need?
Rogers-Adkinson: I think we think very similarly around curriculum. Where colleges have changed a lot is around supporting students. Sometimes I hear alumni say that we “coddle” students today—that we do too much. They’ll point to clothing closets, food pantries, meal programs, even summer meal access for students who remain in town. They ask, “Why are colleges doing all of that now?” For me, it comes back to understanding that we believe in a full-service mission. If you’re hungry, you don’t think. It simply doesn’t make sense. I remember living on 25 cent boxes of macaroni and cheese myself, but should students today have to do that if we have the ability to help them succeed? I don’t think so. Our responsibility is to help students stay in school, complete their education, thrive, and ultimately give back to their communities. Sometimes that means helping people understand that higher education today has to do more than simply deliver classes.
Mandel: And the student population itself has changed dramatically. At Williams, 20 percent of our students are the first in their families to attend college. Ten percent are international students. Those realities naturally change how we approach education today compared with 50 years ago.
Rogers-Adkinson: We’re 40 percent Pell. How do you tell 40 percent of your students, “Well, you live in poverty, but we don’t support you”? It doesn’t make sense.
Charlier: I agree, we’ve all comeback to mission. At BCC, our mission is transforming lives. Certainly that includes helping people achieve stronger economic outcomes, helping them support themselves and their families. But that’s only part of it. We also transform lives by helping people grow, helping them become better citizens, helping them develop intellectually. When we think about curriculum, those are the things we’re striving for. I also think there’s something really special about having multiple generations learning together. Our faculty often talk about how magical that is. As long as you create a classroom where everyone feels seen and respected, people come to issues from very different perspectives, and they learn deeply from one another. It makes the classroom a much richer experience. That’s always been one of the defining characteristics of community colleges, and it’s one of the reasons I love being part of one.
You’ve all discussed mission. Let’s discuss purpose. There is a longstanding societal expectation that attending college guarantees students job placement post-graduation. Is that true? Or is a college’s primary role to help students develop the skills that will allow them to find opportunities and build their lives?
Charlier: I really think it’s both. We’re about people. People absolutely need strong economic outcomes. They need to be able to support themselves and their families. So yes—that’s a core part of what we do. But it would be insufficient if that’s all we did. When students talk about Berkshire Community College, yes, many of them say, “I got a great job.” We can show you data all day long about those outcomes. But what they also sayis, “Somebody believed in me. I learned how to think. I learned how to solve problems. I found my voice.” This work is really about helping students become the fullest version of themselves. We know that creates better citizens. We know it leads to better health outcomes. I really do think it’s both. I hesitate to guarantee anything. But what we do promise is that students won’t walk alone. We’ll help them develop those skills. We’ll connect them with employers. Every one of our programs has internships, externships, workforce partnerships, and hands-on learning. When you combine all of that, students are much more likely to build careers that support both themselves and their families. For me, it’s definitely both.
Rogers-Adkinson: You know, I’d just say “ditto.” Knowledge—and even careers— aren’t linear. Joshua, you’re actually a perfect example of that. You have this degree or that degree, but look at all the different things it’s led you to. That’s what we do for people. We help people think differently, so they can create paths that maybe aren’t even connected to the degree they earned. People use their knowledge in all these different ways. I admit I get a little frustrated with the assumption that you get a degree, you get a job in that field, and you’re supposed to be making a certain amount of money by a certain age. That assumption—that everything is linear and that our responsibility is simply to deliver someone directly into a job in their major—really undersells the power of higher education. I like to lean into the liberal arts, because that’s the kind of institution we are. It’s really about what that education unlocks in people: their ability to think, to create, and to use that knowledge in ways that aren’t always obvious when they’re 18 years old and declaring a major.
Mandel: I completely agree. So yes, this may sound a little redundant, but I also think it’s both. You can’t tell a young person who’s coming to college that, “Well, this is all about lifelong learning, and we don’t really care what happens afterward.” Of course we care. All of us—even though we’re very different institutions—invest significantly in career preparation. Here at Williams, we do that through our alumni network and through internships that allow students to explore a wide range of possible futures—not because we’re preparing them for one specific career, but because we’re preparing them to explore many possibilities. Life isn’t linear. They’re going to try different things. I often tell students, “Your first job is where you learn what you don’t want to do”. Sometimes you have to try a few different things—both during college and afterward—before you discover what really fits, if you’re fortunate enough to have that opportunity. So yes, parents absolutely have expectations, especially at tuition-paying institutions. That’s understandable. But we’re also in the business of education. One of the things I believe very deeply is that what makes American higher education so extraordinary, compared with many educational systems around the world, is precisely this commitment to possibility. In many countries, students are asked at 15 years old to decide what they’re going to become. Once they’re on that path, it’s very difficult to change directions. The liberal arts tradition assumes something different. It assumes that students are going to develop a set of capacities—a way of thinking, writing, communicating, analyzing—that opens many different doors. The path may be winding. But ultimately, those writing skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, analytical skills. Those are the things that sustain people throughout their lives.
Charlier: I would just add one thing. When we talk with employers—and we spend a lot of time talking with employers because that’s an important part of what we do—we almost never hear them say, “We need this particular technical skill.” What we hear is, “I need people who can think” or “I need people who take initiative” or “I need people who solve problems.” So, whether we’re talking about a liberal arts curriculum, the humanities, or technical education, those liberal arts skills become the thread that runs through everything. They’re what connects students not only to really good jobs, but to becoming the kinds of citizens and colleagues that employers actually want. So again, it’s both.
I grew up in a family of strong women. My college’s president was female,as was the president of Stony Brook University when I was in medical school. My medical school class was female- dominant with a ratio of 67 women to 35 men, and the first hospitalist group I joined was predominantly female. So, strong, female leadership is not new or unique to me. That said, 2026 marks the first time in history that three simultaneous Berkshire college presidents are all female. How significant is it to you that this is the first time there are three female presidents of our Berkshire colleges? Do you feel we should still be asking that question in 2026? Does your gender matter? Or, as a society, should we simply recognize you for your intelligence, accomplishments, and skills— regardless of gender?
Rogers-Adkinson: Both. One-third of college presidencies today are held by women. Community colleges actually led the way. They began hiring women into leadership much earlier. When I was in Pennsylvania, though, in the state system, eight of the ten presidents were men. The chancellor was a man. The second-in- command positions were finally becoming more balanced. There are still barriers. Massachusetts is somewhat unique politically, because we have women in so many leadership roles. But, I’ll give you an example of why I think this still matters. When I was a dean, our president wanted to remove the deans from sitting on the commencement dais. I remember saying to him, “If you do that, 60 percent of your graduates are women, and they won’t see a single woman leader sitting on that stage. Is that really the message you want to send? That there are no women they can aspire to become?” We got to stay on the dais. The majority of students attending college today are women. Representation matters. It lets students see possibilities. I never saw female college presidents when I was in college. This wasn’t a path I imagined for myself. Now students can see it. They can say, “That’s something I could do.” And I think that’s important.
Charlier: I wish we didn’t have to keep talking about it. I really do. I wish society were at a point where it was no longer significant or unusual. But the fact is, we’re not there. We’re simply not there. When you look at wages, when you look at people in positions of power, women continue to be underrepresented. Until that changes, I think we still have to talk about it—not just with women, but with all underrepresented groups. I hope we get to a point in my lifetime where we don’t have to talk about it anymore, because we’ve arrived. But right now,I think it is significant. And I’m really proud to be part of this group. I’m really proud to be here in Berkshire County
Mandel: It’s an interesting question, because I was the first female president of Williams. But (turning to Charlier and Rogers-Adkinson) in both of your institutions, you’re not the first woman president. So, in some ways, it’s a perfectly reasonable question, because we’re not necessarily breaking through glass ceilings in quite the same way anymore. I’ve also been here a long time now. Bennington is bringing in another female leader, but they’ve had women leaders before, as well. So, I also think it’s both. To the extent that people around us understand that women, men, and people from all kinds of backgrounds can do these jobs well, then we’ve achieved something. At that point, maybe we stop talking about that and start talking about the new challenges that we all face together. At the same time, I completely agree with what Diana said about modeling what’s possible. And that’s not just for women. It’s for people from all kinds of backgrounds. Sometimes people don’t imagine a path until they see someone walking it. I was very fortunate to have extraordinary role models in my own life who never allowed me to doubt that I could do whatever I wanted to do. If we’re helping provide that example for the next generation—for young women, certainly, but also for young men and for anyone else—then that’s something valuable we can contribute. Part of the reason the question makes me a little uncomfortable is because, to your point, I’d like to think I can be a role model for anybody. But it’s also true that if someone has never seen a person like themselves in a particular role, seeing that example matters.
Thank you for those very insightful answers. Before we end, is there anything else you’d like to share about what’s happening at BCC or about your vision for the institution? Since this is really your introduction to many readers, I’d love to give you that opportunity.
Charlier: That’s very kind. I would simply say that Berkshire Community College was the first community college in Massachusetts. We’re very proud of that history. I think Berkshire County is incredibly well-served, because these institutions genuinely work together. Students have so many different opportunities depending on their interests, their aspirations, and their goals. We want people to see BCC as a place where everyone belongs. I feel very fortunate to be here.
Dr. Rogers-Adkinson, any last comments you’d like to share?
Rogers-Adkinson: For us at MCLA, I think the biggest thing is that we’re one of the top public liberal arts colleges in the country. We’re able to offer so much to both students and the community at a remarkably affordable price point. I still think we’re a little bit of a hidden gem. We’re small, but we’re mighty. This year, I really hope I get the opportunity to help more people discover everything we have to offer—both as a college and as a community partner. It’s a difficult time in higher education, but I think we offer tremendous value, tremendous opportunity, and a very personal educational experience. I can’t wait to help more students discover that.
Dr. Mandel?
Mandel: Diana mentioned that it’s a difficult time for higher education. It really is. One of the things that’s made me sad over the past several years is watching public appreciation for this extraordinary system we’ve built in this country begin to erode. When you really step back and look at it, it’s the mix of institutions that makes American higher education remarkable. Community colleges. Public liberal arts colleges. Private liberal arts colleges. State universities. Research universities. HBCUs. Each one plays an essentialrole. Listening to the people around this table today, I think you hear something very important. These institutions are led by people who care deeply about educating the next generation. That’s what this is all about. We keep using the word “mission.” Our mission is educating the next generation so that they can solve the problems we didn’t solve, build the future, and prepare the generations that follow them. We’re all in that business together. If I could leave readers with anything, it would simply be a reminder that these institutions are one of the great strengths of this country. They’ve never been perfect. They weren’t perfect in the past. They’re not perfect now. There isn’t some mythical golden age. They’re made up of people. People doing their very best to educate the next generation. And they do it remarkably well. So, thank you for writing about higher education. Thank you for shining a light on it. That’s certainly why I do this work, and my sense is that’s why my colleagues do, as well.
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