What Universities Owe Democracy

What Universities Owe Democracy (2021) by Ronald J. Daniels. Kathy Purnell, J.D., Ph.D., trustee at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, director of the Human/Civil Rights Law Center, and part-time instructor in the Department of Political Science, will lead the discussions. The core ethical theme that will be explored throughout the book club will be the ethical obligations of universities to support democratic governance. The book provides historical context for the creation of the university and educational systems in the United States and argues that some of the key obligations of universities include expanding access and mobility to future generations, cultivating a commitment to free inquiry and educating citizens for full participation in a democracy, developing capacity for critical thinking, and engaging in "purposeful pluralism" to ensure that diverse societies encourage dialogue across difference.