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 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.

I am not a scientist. I have never analyzed the far reaches of the solar system through the lens of a telescope nor scrutinized cancer cells under a microscope.

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

People look at me like I'm crazy when I say that our greatest partnership here at Ohio State should be with the community colleges.

The arts, quite simply, nourish the soul. They sustain, comfort, inspire. There is nothing like that exquisite moment when you first discover the beauty of connecting with others in celebration of larger ideals and shared wisdom.