CHAUTAUQUA - Public education is the founding basis of our society said E. Gordon Gee, the president of The Ohio State University.
Gee, addressing to the Chautauqua Institution during the Interfaith Lecture Series, spoke about his career as the president of various universities around the country and the need for public education in our society.
"Public education from preschool to graduate school to life is our future," he said. "We, as a country, have a unique spirit for innovation and creativity which will fuel the future of our country, he said. In order to stimulate the growth of this creativity, we must invest in public education. That work has never been more important then today. We need to focus on the larger picture of public education as the base of our society. Public education is pivotal in shaping our country."
Public education is the best teacher and protector of civil discourse in our country, he said. It not only inspires creativity and innovation, but allows differing points of view to be displayed and inspires creative conversation in order to better ourselves.
"Public education at its simplest form is what makes everyone in this room free," he said. The lack of civil discourse in our society is a basic problem of our democracy, he said. New technology allows us to act mainly on impulse, without fully thinking through their actions.
He spoke about the Morrill Act, which allowed the creation of land-grant colleges, and how this act was one of the most important in education history. It allowed the states to establish higher education institutions, funded through the federal government, which helped push our country through innovation, due to their focus on agriculture, science and engineering rather then classical studies.
"This act opened the American dream to everyone," he said.
Gee said the education system must be changed in order to better our society. "We cannot passively wait for the system to be remade. Education is a way to inspire rational discourse and open discovery. We need some place in this country where ideas are safe. Where they can be discussed in a rational forum," he explained.
The role of public education is to ensure the equality of every child, he said. Being able to educate oneself and better one's life is the essence of the American dream. However, education is not universally available to all. Students from low-income households are eight times less likely to earn a bachelor's degree, he said. The aim as a country should be the nurturing of every child in America.
"Today we must fully face the issue," he said. "At this most challenging point in our country's history, we cannot look away. We must act quickly to create a new American education ecosystem that begins at birth. We have a covenant with our children's children to expand public education. This is a time for reinvention. My sense of urgency grows every day."
Gee is the current president of The Ohio State University, served as chancellor of Vanderbilt University for seven years, as well as president of Brown University, the University of Colorado and West Virginia University. He is the co-author of eight books, and numerous papers and articles on law and education.
The Interfaith Lecture Series' Week 6 titled "Public Education: A Moral Imperative" will continue today with Rajiv Vinnakota, Thursday with Jeffrey R. Beard and Friday with a panel made up of Cathy Battaglia, Marion Pittman Couch and Maria Hersey.
