In a conversation with Jack Fowler, the esteemed historian, classics professor, and social critic will assess the state of American colleges and lay out various reforms that colleges and universities must enact or have placed upon them.

Imparting wisdom and teaching truth to the young at a time of aggressive ideology and regulation and incredible expense—and what about lockdowns?!—is no picnic. Should we despair? Yes, some states and municipalities are nightmares and impediments to education, but others embrace the lyrics of the popular tune, “teach your children well.” Our trio of experts will give a lay of the vast K-through-Higher-Ed landscape, pointing to examples that will give us reasons to tear, but more so, reasons to cheer.

Despite being hamstrung by ideologues, lockdowns, union extremism, and failed learning methodologies, K-12 schools, buoyed by recent reform efforts, are proving successful. And this success is critical to sustaining America's beleaguered colleges and universities. Charter, choice, homeschooling . . . this panel will discuss the key ingredients comprising the secret sauce for K-12 success (that help them defy modern trends and outrageous government mandates). Then, from the perspective of high-ed institutions and their benefactors, they will discuss how K-12 reform is vital to the restoration of America's colleges and universities.

Isn’t it strange that the “Free Speech Movement,” a thing born on campuses, is disdained in the classroom and on the quad? Stranger: Students are expected to learn while open discussion risks cancellation for those who disagree. Central to the essence of education, free speech will be the focus of this expert trio, who will suss out its importance to academic freedom, the peril of being an invited speaker, the role of administrators and students in fostering free speech, what groups are fighting to preserve this First Amendment right, and how donors can and should influence policies surrounding speech.

Long before the recent spate of campus protests, Americans held higher education in ever-decreasing esteem, seeing campus as more a place for high-priced indoctrination than learning (a thing that many studies suggest isn’t happening). We can grade on a curve, or we can ask for unvarnished assessments, and the latter is precisely what our expert panel—brimming with ideas on how to reform higher education to better serve students and regain the trust of the American public—will provide.

At this moment of turmoil in academia, an obligation has emerged: That donors must play an increased, active, and even public role in higher-ed-reform. Because it is not enough to consider withholding support—a very valid position, indeed—our panel of philanthropists will discuss various means to help stop the madness and course-correct our schools. They will cover the right ways to enter into gift agreements with university fundraisers, and how to interact with trustees and administrative leadership to ensure that colleges fulfill their mission to truly educate students.