In this episode with Cow Guy Close, we confront a troubling reality: many college students are struggling with basic literacy, including reading and writing complete sentences.
That is not a student failure alone. It is an institutional failure.
Somehow, we have built an education system where students may struggle with foundational skills – yet are fully fluent in ideological language. That should concern every parent, taxpayer, and employer.
Higher education has a choice. Universities do not have to admit students who are unprepared. They do not have to lower standards. They do not have to prioritize identity categories over qualifications. They can choose excellence. They can choose merit. They can choose rigor.
Instead, too many institutions have chosen enrollment numbers and federal funding over academic integrity.
When colleges accept millions in state and federal dollars, they have a mandate: educate students. Not warehouse them. Not push them through. Not dilute standards to fill seats.
If students are entering college unable to meet basic requirements, the solution is not to lower the bar. The solution is to strengthen preparation and hold institutions accountable.
Education should elevate students. It should challenge them to rise—not descend to the lowest common denominator.
If we continue down this path, we risk graduating generations who carry degrees but lack the skills those degrees are supposed to represent.
Standards matter. Merit matters. Literacy matters.
And taxpayers deserve better.
