I spent the first 18 years of my life in the pastoral town of Vernal, Utah, in the shadows of the Book Cliffs and the Uinta Mountains.

To be sure, American higher education is a diverse ecosystem, comprising institutions of all sizes, price tags, and mission statements.

Intellectual curiosity drove Einstein to some of the world's most important discoveries.

I believe everything learned in college is an answer to a question that someone has posed. Questions get posed differently and the answers that come back transport us to places we never knew existed.

The Ohio State University has a rich - if quiet - heritage of the arts.

I often have said that to be a college president, you need a thick skin, a good sense of humor, and nerves like sewer pipes.

So if a college education is indispensable, the challenge as I see it is how to make it more accessible.