At the end of each year, the Martin Center puts out a list of reforms we hope to see in the new year.

Here is our list for 2025.

What I hope to see is a commitment to teaching students logic and argumentation:

What college leaders should do is to create a required course for freshmen that will accomplish the following: teach students why freedom of speech is important, why intolerance and violence are never productive, and how to engage in rational argumentation.

Graham Hillard wishes for an end to the sports mania:

One possible solution is for Congress to pass the SCORE Act, which provides limited antitrust exemptions to the NCAA. (The extent of those exemptions will, ironically, be tested in court.) Another is for hugely compensated adults to stop acting like greedy children and behave with a little class.

Jenna Robinson would like to see the state legislature pass a bill:

The REACH Act would require all college and university students to take a civics course focused on primary documents in order to graduate. The UNC System has already moved in this direction with its introduction of a “Foundations of American Democracy” requirement. The General Assembly should build on this momentum by passing the REACH Act, which would strengthen the UNC requirement and spread civics education in the North Carolina Community College System.

Shannon Watkins hopes to see more engagement with the philosophy of the Founders:

Especially in anticipation of the upcoming Semiquincentennial, the Founders’ writings on higher education should be closely studied. The Founders, in particular, valued the liberal arts for their ability to prepare students for civic life.

And Jovan Tripkovic hopes that our colleges will teach foreign students more about American values:

Studying in the United States is a dream for millions of young people around the world, and only a small share earn the privilege of receiving an American education. That privilege should carry certain responsibilities, including learning about American government, history, and culture.