University’s purpose is to nurture all students’ potential
The college admissions scandal, which extends to high-profile actors, business and education leaders around the country, has highlighted an age-old issue in higher education — and in society, really: whether or not money and status can buy success – even more troubling, whether success is limited to those with money and status.
America is supposed to be the land of opportunity and a fair playing field for those of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to get ahead and realize their dreams. Hard work, ethics, education and perseverance are supposedly the ingredients needed to overcome barriers like bias, financial standing and social hierarchy, but faith in that concept is eroding fast.
As one of Ohio’s longeststanding higher education institutions, we take a very intentional stand that we welcome all students who bring their full selves, in their array of differences and full display of originality, into our learning community to discover and realize their layers of potential. We do not delimit students by numbers — be they test scores, high-school GPAS, number of generations of alumni or giving potential.
We welcome students, as individuals, by the potential — especially those hidden layers — they offer our learning community and our world.
As universities, we should be elite in the hope education brings to humanity, not in our boundaries and filters. We should be points of access and opportunity for all who have abilities to succeed, and we must continually revise our systems and traditions to help new student populations discover and reach their full potential. Human diversity is the lifeblood of social and economic growth and mobility, for individuals, families, communities, corporations, and societies.
I hope to renew the power of inclusive education for society, seeing beyond the surface and lifting up good old-fashioned curiosity and aspiration and a purpose-ready outlook as the key to success. Capital University’s Good Guarantee initiative, which offers half-price tuition to students whose families serve in the nonprofit and public sectors, helps to level the playing field for prospective students who might be discouraged by financial standing. Our Bonner Leader Program enables students with an interest in social justice and community empowerment to trade community collaboration for tuition assistance.
Our alumni contributions to society speak for themselves. Joe Deloss of Hot Chicken Takeover has built a successful business model on employing and empowering those navigating hurdles like homelessness and life after incarceration. Attorney Mindy Yocum’s husband was a victim of a senseless crime and the resulting bureaucratic red tape, an experience that led her to law school to help others faced with the same expensive and frustrating scenario. Madison Mikhail Bush developed an app to make finding and signing up for volunteer opportunities as easy as shopping online. Stories abound of individuals who could have been overlooked and instead they have been empowered to aspire and impact for our collective good.
For the moment, the world is focusing on the selfish steps some people took to gain an unfair advantage in the name of money and prestige. I hope all will join me in setting our sights on a brighter world, and choosing to have faith in institutions that believe in creating an open and inclusive opportunity for students who truly want to make a positive impact on the future — despite their ZIP codes or the size of their bank accounts.