"Ivory Tower" Film Screening

Approximately 45 students attended the Ivory Tower screening on February 13th. The film led to a great discussion, moderated by Dr. Chris Wells, on a number of topics related to the fundamental purpose of a University. Students were eager to discuss what they're looking for from their education, what the University owes them and vice versa, and the role of the student body in engaging in meaningful conversations and change. 

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Join the Ethics Institute on Thursday, February 13th for a screening of the popular CNN documentary, Ivory Tower. The screening will take place from 4:30 - 6:30 pm in 152 Coates Hall.

Ivory Tower asks: Is a college education worth it? The film argues that while the system of higher education in the United States has historically succeeded in providing a large portion of its population with a college degree, a number of factors have created conditions where, "the very concept of the institution of higher learning is about to be broken." Ivory Tower examines the student debt crisis, the ever-rising cost of a college education across the United States, cuts to state funding for public universities, and the increasing idea that the university is a business and students are consumers, among other topics. In doing so, it questions whether it is tenable for higher education in the United States to continue to exist in its current form.

Following the film we'll ask: What is the purpose of a university? Is it to train students for future careers? To develop educated citizens? Something else? Is the university best understood as a business or a public good? Should a college education be a right guaranteed to all citizens, or a commodity purchased by student-consumers? Should students go into debt to afford a college education? Who does higher education serve and who should it serve? How can it do so equitably? 

There will be a discussion moderated by Dr. Chris Wells, Instructor of Philosophy, immediately following the film.