Maybe It’s Us

We’re Part of the Problem by Evan Goldstein
The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 17, 2026

In this Chronicle of Higher Education interview, conducted on his final day at The New York Times, columnist and author David Brooks reflects on how elite educational institutions may have unintentionally deepened social and political divides by privileging status, credentialism, and prestige over character, civic responsibility, and moral formation. Brooks, who is leaving the Times to serve as a presidential senior fellow at Yale’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, argues that universities must confront their role in shaping a meritocratic system that has deepened class divisions and eroded public trust. While sharply critical of political attacks on higher education, Brooks also suggests this is a moment for internal reform, urging institutions to reengage with the enduring human questions at the heart of liberal education. While focused on elite universities, Brooks’s critique carries clear implications for independent schools that espouse whole-child education and character formation. It invites reflection on whether graduates are shaped chiefly by achievement and resume virtues or by empathy, resilience, and civic responsibility. If the former begins to eclipse the latter, then mission statements that champion integrity, service, and moral leadership must be realized not merely in language but in the lived experience of curriculum, advising, community expectations, and daily school culture.