The connectedness of things is what the great university is all about, and I believe the great university in the coming century will be described as a community of scholars.

In an era when careerism dominates the campus, is it too much to expect students to go beyond their private interests, learn about the world around them, develop a sense of civic and social responsibility, and discover how they can contribute to the common good?

Literature is an inquiry into the deepest yearnings of the human spirit.

I am suggesting that quality in undergraduate education means giving students a perspective that is global.

To push for excellence today without continuing to push for access for less privileged students is to undermine the crucial but incomplete gains that have been made. Equity and excellence cannot be divided.

A poor surgeon hurts one person at a time. A poor teacher hurts 130.

It is no longer enough to simply read and write. Students must also become literate in the understanding of visual images. Our children must learn how to spot a stereotype, isolate a social cliche, and distinguish facts from propaganda, analysis from banter and important news from coverage.