A college degree does not hold the prestige it once did, nor does it automatically open the career doors to success and riches as we’ve long been told. Nearly one-fifth of those who have earned a college degree in the last five years have found that it left them underqualified for an entry-level job in their chosen field. More than half did not pursue a job in their field because they felt unqualified. In addition, three in eight students drop out before they reach their senior year, and one in every seven has student loan debt.

For those who are able to turn their college education into a career without being buried in debt, there’s the actual value of their degree to consider. Many of America’s colleges and universities act as mere forward operating bases in the Left’s ideological and cultural war for the soul of our country. Students who enter college full of intellectual curiosity often graduate as incurious leftist sheep.

Yet there are still a few options available for parents who desire a decent college education for their children — one that challenges and stimulates them while respecting both rigorous inquiry and academic freedom.

The University of Austin (UATX) was established in November 2021 as an alternative to the far-left woke campus culture that has ruined many academic institutions across the country. Austin, according to university president Pano Kanelos, pledges to be devoted to providing a campus where students have the academic freedom to pursue their degrees in an open and inviting setting that is not censored politically or socially.

UATX has raised more than $100 million thus far and plans to open wide for undergraduate programs in 2024. The university is currently pursuing accreditation by the U.S. Department of Education and authorization to offer degrees from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

UATX began offering what it calls Forbidden Courses in Dallas last summer. Featuring academicians from across the ideological spectrum who are unafraid to engage in open and honest dialogue, these courses include deep dives into concepts of freedom, critical thinking, global warming, feminism, social status, and capitalism.

Founding faculty include former Harvard President Lawrence Summers, former ACLU President Nadine Strossen, former American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks, and former Portland State University assistant professor Peter Boghossian.

“The University of Austin came into being as a result of the ideological capture of American universities,” Boghossian said. “There are larger economic issues at play as well. This is an issue of global competitiveness,” he added, referring to China’s greater appreciation for meritocracy and its competitive advantage over the U.S.

Time will tell, but the University of Austin has the potential to become a model for what American universities must become in the 21st century — especially if we hope to once again produce young leaders who will aspire and compete rather than dim-witted automatons who will only do the bidding of their socialist masters.