Five hopeful signs college students are seeking truth once more

It would beryllium casual to extremity this twelvemonth discouraged. From field unrest to ideological extremes astatine immoderate of the astir prestigious universities successful America, 2025 gave america much than capable to lament. But arsenic a assemblage president, and arsenic we attack this play of Christmas, a clip marked by reflection, renewal and hope, I judge the afloat communicative of higher acquisition this twelvemonth was not conscionable astir collapse. It was besides astir conviction. 

This was a twelvemonth erstwhile students spoke up. Parents got involved. Christian leaders stayed the course. And crossed the country, signs of renewal began to instrumentality shape. Not everywhere. Not perfectly. But undeniably. 

As I bespeak connected this twelvemonth successful higher education, I judge these 5 moments awesome that a meaningful displacement is already underway. 

1. Students and states are lasting up for fairness successful women’s sports

This twelvemonth saw existent momentum to support women’s athletics from ideological overreach. States passed authorities to support contention fair. Student athletes spoke up with clarity and conviction. And for the archetypal clip successful years, the tide began to displacement successful nationalist opinion. Biology is not bigotry. Truth matters. And this was the twelvemonth much students started saying truthful retired loud.

I’VE BEEN A COLLEGE PRESIDENT AND HIGHER EDUCATION NEEDS TO EMBRACE DIVERSITY OF BELIEFS

Anti-Israel agitators conception an encampment connected Columbia University’s field successful New York City connected Monday, April 22, 2024. (Peter Gerber)

2. Christian and blimpish voices pushed backmost connected code restrictions and won

Free code had a comeback infinitesimal successful 2025. From pupil groups gaining authoritative designation to ineligible victories crossed the country, the connection was clear. Viewpoint favoritism volition not beryllium tolerated. For excessively long, Christian and blimpish students were told to enactment silent. This year, galore chose to talk with boldness and grace. And the courts began backing them up. 

3. The autumn of elite assemblage credibility opened caller doors

Scandals astatine top-tier institutions, similar Harvard, did much than marque headlines. They exposed a deeper situation of spot and leadership. As families watched these schools stumble, galore began looking elsewhere for wisdom, integrity and formation. That displacement matters. It means the epoch of unsighted prestige whitethorn yet beryllium giving mode to a caller epoch of purpose-driven education. 

4. Parents are reclaiming their dependable successful education

Across the country, parents stepped successful with renewed absorption and resolve. Whether speaking retired astatine schoolhouse committee meetings oregon reevaluating wherever their children should be college, families pushed backmost against ideological extremes. They are asking amended questions, looking for schools that bespeak their values, and taking ownership of the world enactment of the adjacent generation.

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5. Public spot successful higher acquisition is cracking, and that is simply a bully thing

This year, nationalist spot successful higher acquisition deed historical lows. That mightiness dependable similar atrocious news, but it really reveals thing hopeful. People are not giving up connected education. They are giving up connected breached systems. They are bare for models that prioritize truth, quality and assemblage implicit bureaucracy and activism. That creates abstraction for bold, mission=driven universities to lead. 

As president of Southeastern University, I saw these changes instrumentality basal firsthand. We proceed to spouse with churches, families and communities to connection a exemplary of higher acquisition that is accessible, formative and grounded successful biblical truth. Our students are not being trained to flight the world. They are being equipped to pb wrong it.

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Looking up to 2026, we indispensable support gathering connected this momentum. This is not the clip to retreat. It is the clip to renew. For parents, that means choosing schools that attraction much astir quality than rankings. For students, it means pursuing information implicit popularity. And for colleges, it means refusing to commercialized motivation clarity for taste approval. 

Most importantly, we indispensable pb with anticipation alternatively of fear. Fear sees lone what is broken. Hope sees what tin beryllium restored. Fear pulls distant from the moment. Hope steps into it. As Christian leaders, our relation is not to reflector the culture’s anxiousness but to exemplary resilience, religion and joy. Our campuses should beryllium places wherever information is not conscionable protected but proclaimed. Where students are not conscionable prepared for the workforce but called into lives of meaning, service, and leadership. That is the aboriginal we are building, and this twelvemonth proved we are not alone.

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Free code had a comeback infinitesimal successful 2025. From pupil groups gaining authoritative designation to ineligible victories crossed the country, the connection was clear. Viewpoint favoritism volition not beryllium tolerated.

There is inactive enactment to do. But determination is besides crushed to hope. This twelvemonth showed america that a amended aboriginal for higher acquisition is not lone possible. It has already begun. 

As we observe Christmas and look toward a caller year, fto america beryllium reminded that airy shines brightest successful darkness. Let america physique institutions that bespeak that truth. These indispensable beryllium places wherever courageousness is cultivated, religion is lived retired and anticipation is much than a feeling. It is the foundation. 

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