In America of yore, holding a college degree usually meant an ease of passage into the workforce and adulthood. That promise has long since fallen short.

Some of the reasons are easy to point to such as bad ideological infiltration. Colleges and universities are the breeding ground for theories such as Critical Race Theory; Queer Marxism; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and other ideas that have been a raging battle front in the culture wars. There are still plenty of students who don’t believe any of these ideologies, but these woke ideas in the minds and mouths of radical professors have a stifling effect on free speech.

According to a William F. Buckley, Jr. Program survey, there has been a spike in students reporting that they do not feel safe or comfortable sharing their opinions in class, especially if they differ from their peers or their professors. The survey reported: “Of the students surveyed, 58%, a record high, reported feeling intimidated in sharing an opinion that was different than a professor’s, 8% higher than last year. The number reporting never having had this issue fell to a record low of 38%. A higher 63% reported feeling intimidated in sharing opinions different than their peers, also a record high and a jump of 13% from the 2021 survey.”

Did we mention that leftist professors outnumber conservatives 10-1?

Cancel culture is alive and well in American universities, and wokescolds are not afraid to wield that weapon against any dissenting voice, including any wide-eyed student, potential student, or even professor who dares to put a toe out of line.

Other issues that impede collegiate success are more complicated such as the zeitgeist and the caliber of students in attendance at universities. According to College Fix, “While 87 percent of students said that college is ‘too difficult,’ the same percentage are studying less than 10 hours per week.”

This is a trend that teachers are seeing across the board, not just at the collegiate level. Children in the lower grades are not able to meet standards, so many a school will simply pass them along instead of holding them back. This pattern of lower academic standards in the lower grades has a domino effect in the hallowed halls of universities. Professors are left with little choice: fail their students, or scaffold their lessons (make them easier).

Also, many students who are high school graduates have not been taught how to study. In this author’s own teaching experience, this was a critical skill that we endeavored to teach to our high school students with great success. Study skills are not innate for most students.

Then there is the zeitgeist. Children of this generation have a very entitled mentality. Many believe that grades should just be handed to them; they shouldn’t have to work for it. Many have never been inspired to work hard on grades because they aren’t interested in the subject or aren’t driven to succeed. Yet they still choose college because an undergraduate degree is supposed to help them get a job. Chasing down and understanding ideas is hard work. It does take time. But the good grades and the self-confidence that come from success and understanding the material are a reward in and of itself. It is, however, a reward that is forever barred from this generation that believes the world revolves around them. That is indeed a tragedy.

Universities know the truth. Their campus culture and their lower academic standards are setting up this generation of students for failure. Some universities are unwilling to admit that their ideas have resulted in utter failure. This unrepentant spirit has led schools such as Harvard, Yale, and Berkeley — whose overall reputation and scores are starting to slip in big part because of their wokeism — to no longer participate in U.S. News and World Report’s college rankings.

Higher education is a wonderful thing if the goals of university learning are the pursuit of excellence and chasing knowledge, not parroting radical leftism and its fallacious ideologies.

It is a beautiful thing to see when creative and industrious scholars are free to flourish. That is not what most universities seem to foster in their academic culture. They tend to be disciples of destruction (specifically of the West and its culture) and no longer the gateways to construction and hope for the future. It is sad to see.