Plowman delivers Patterson Lecture at The Ohio State University
Land-grant universities have a unique advantage when it comes to rebuilding Americans’ faith in higher education, UT Chancellor Donde Plowman told an audience at The Ohio State University in April.
“What sets us apart? It’s our 162-year-old mission—a clear mandate of education, discovery, and especially community engagement and service,” Plowman said. “We have a covenant with those we serve to do as much good as we can for as many people we can—in Tennessee, in Ohio, and in every state in this country.”
The remarks were part of the 2024 James Patterson Lecture, an annual event at Ohio State that invites leaders in higher education to speak on the challenges facing land-grant universities across the country. In her address Plowman explained how land-grants are in the best position to remind Americans why higher education matters.
In July 2023, Gallup released a poll showing Americans’ confidence in higher education hit 36 percent, falling 21 points in just eight years.
“Americans’ confidence in higher education hit an all-time low,” Plowman said. “I hear the criticisms; you hear the criticisms. It’s usually the same three things: universities are elitist and out of touch; degrees are unattainable, unaffordable, and not worth it; and we spend our time on esoteric research for academic journals instead of everyday people.”
Universities should confront this criticism instead of deflecting it, Plowman said, noting that “it takes humility to acknowledge flaws” and “courage to fix them.”
She pointed to initiatives at UT and Ohio State, where the land-grant mission has informed programs and initiatives that combat common complaints about higher education and create opportunities for the people each institution serves.
This includes efforts like the new UT Institute for American Civics, which seeks to rebuild civic health and encourages respect and compassion when tackling polarizing topics, and a collaborative research initiative on the next generation of semiconductors at Ohio State.“Large public research universities have spent a lot of time striving to be like our elite counterparts,” Plowman said. “But I can’t help but wonder what happens if we stop putting so much weight into being leading universities, and instead become universities that lead.”
