Resource person: Audra Bullard - office@clehighlands.com

Description:

Until recently, a college degree was widely considered a reliable path to success in life. Higher education has now become a political and legal battlefield. To critics, colleges and universities do not educate; they indoctrinate. Among the most significant issues at stake: the role of the Department of Education; political interference in academic governance; defunding academic departments or programs; restricting curriculum content; political bias in hiring and promotion; elimination of tenure; elimination of affirmative action and related DEI initiatives; transgender participants in sports; free speech and cancel culture; and the need for more skills-based content in college curriculums. Is the value of a college education in serious need of reconsideration? Our speakers have extensive experience as higher education leaders in both the private and public sectors. They will discuss how and why this debate emerged but also provide insight into the trajectory of the debate going forward.

A nationally recognized leader in public policy, Margaret Spellings serves as president & CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center. Spellings previously served as president & CEO of the non-partisan think tank, Texas 2036. Her extensive leadership experience in state and federal government includes service as U.S. Secretary of Education, White House Chief Domestic Policy Advisor, Senior Policy Advisor to then-Governor George W. Bush, president of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, and president of the 17-institution University of North Carolina System.

Thomas W. Ross is President Emeritus of the 17- campus University of North Carolina having served as President from 2011-2016. Prior to becoming President of the UNC System, Ross served as President of Davidson College, executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, director of the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, a Superior Court judge, chief of staff to a U. S. Congressman, a member of a Greensboro, NC law firm and as a Professor of Public Law and Government at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Government. He was the first Sanford Distinguished Fellow in Public Policy at the Duke University Sanford School for Public Policy. He currently serves as the Lead Independent Director of Bausch & Lomb Company, a Canadian eye care company.

Notes: Cancellation Policy Please let us know immediately if you are unable to attend a class. There is no refund for cancellations within two (2) weeks prior to a scheduled class. Programs that include food, beverage or art materials must be canceled within three (3) weeks prior to receive a refund. CLE reserves the right to cancel a program if the minimum enrollment has not been met or for circumstances beyond our control, and participants will be notified, a complete refund will be issued. All classes are held in the CLE Lecture Hall at the Peggy Crosby Center unless otherwise noted. In the event information has changed from the published brochure, it will be posted on our website and in our e-blasts. Addresses for “private home” venues will be provided to registrants within 2 days of the program date.

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