The Twenty-First-Century Postsecular University

Many observers agree that twenty-first-century universities have lost their way with respect to the task of providing moral leadership for their students and for the nation. This chapter surveys leading commentators, including Harry Lewis, Anthony Kronman, Andrew Delanco, William Egginton, Jonathan Haidt, and Greg Lukiankoff, on these themes, especially in the decline of the humanities. Many blame the business and economic interests and related careerism that shape most of university education. Still, as John Schmalzbauer and Kathleen A. Mahoney show, religious interests can still be found in many aspects of university life, including study of religion, campus ministries, and personal religious beliefs of many professors and students. Nonetheless, emphases on diversity do not always include religious diversity.