William B. Dabars

In “Building Pluralistic Intelligence Into the American Research University” (Issues, Spring 2026), Michael Crow, David Rosowsky, and William Dabars argue persuasively that research universities suffer from an “epistemic monoculture” that privileges analytical and verbal reasoning over other forms of intelligence essential for discovery and societal problem-solving.

It is indeed time to redesign the social contract between universities and the public and to address its design flaws, as Michael M. Crow, William B. Dabars, and David V. Rosowsky write.

The worldwide expansion of demand for higher education during the past half century has fostered systemic national reform efforts to expand access to greater proportions of respective populations. Educational technologies have exponentially accelerated these efforts and changed their means of delivery. Whereas many of these initiatives stem from government decrees, in some cases individual academic leaders have scaled up the magnitude of the impacts of digital innovation.