As I watched my grandfather work with people who were impoverished, I began to understand that to be truly human, one must serve.

Book CoverTo have people who are well informed but not constrained by conscience is conceivably, the most dangerous outcome of education possible. Indeed it could be argued that ignorance is better than unguided intelligence, for the most dangerous people are those who have knowledge without a moral framework.

Education must prepare students to be independent, self-reliant human beings. But education, at its best, also must help students go beyond their private interests, gain a more integrative view of knowledge, and relate their learning to the realities of life.

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.

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

To put it simply, school readiness means creating in this country a public love of children.

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