“The current doubt by some about the value of higher education is so deeply troubling,” writes former Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell ’54, H’83 in an op-ed for The Boston Globe.
Photo by Michele Stapleton
Sen. Mitchell writes that the country’s colleges and universities are “the engines of opportunity, economic growth, and scientific discovery in America” and notes they are following through on their commitment to low-income and first-generation college students and to diversity of all kinds.
Mitchell adds that a “self-defeating new tax on endowment earnings” amid criticism over high costs hampers the very effort to make college affordable for students who would be unable to attend without financial aid.
“I have no doubt that Bowdoin changed my life. In addition to learning from great professors across the curriculum, I gained resilience, the ability to think critically, empathy for others, how to adapt to change, and how to take advantage of new opportunities — abilities that are considerably more important today,” writes Mitchell. “Without our colleges and universities and the opportunity they provide, America would be unrecognizable.”
Read Sen. George J. Mitchell’s March 2, 2018, Boston Globe op-ed “Taxing college endowments will make higher education less affordable” in its entirety.
