Keynote: Kathleen Fitzpatrick on “Generous Thinking: A Radical Approach to Saving the University”

Higher education occupies a difficult place in twenty-first-century American culture. Universities―the institutions that bear so much responsibility for the future health of our nation―are at odds with the very publics they are intended to serve. It is imperative that we re-center the mission of the university to rebuild that lost trust. Critical thinking―the heart of what academics do―can today often negate, refuse, and reject new ideas. In an age characterized by rampant anti-intellectualism, Generous Thinking charges the academy with thinking constructively rather than competitively, buil​ding new ideas rather than tearing old ones down. We need to rethink how we teach the humanities and to refocus our attention on the very human ends―the desire for community and connection―that the humanities can best serve. A virtual event!