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Dr. Alexander Crist, Assistant Professor, Ron Atchison, Instructor
Dr. Tom Barber, Assistant Professor, Humanities and Social Sciences

Location:
Building 1, Room 129

Date & Time:
March 6, 2026
9:45 – 10:45 a.m.

About:
The purpose, goal, or end (telos) of education is a common topic of discussion throughout the history of Western philosophy and thought. In Plato’s Republic, education is important for bringing about just individuals and a just society. For Aristotle, education is a matter of cultivating virtue, which is crucial for developing a flourishing community. As it pertains specifically to academic institutions, figures like John Henry Newman, Karl Jaspers, and Hans-Georg Gadamer offer a series of reflections on the ‘Idea’ or ‘Ideal’ of a university. This is to say, they discuss the ideal standards, values, conditions, or goals that we strive to achieve at a college or university. In this presentation, Dr. Alexander Crist offers a general account of how these thinkers characterize and envision the telos of education and institutions of higher learning. Professor Ron Atchison will then discuss some of the crucial differences between the ways in which the Greeks and the Romans approached education, as well as their lasting impact on Western education as a whole. Lastly, Dr. Tom Barber will provide some general commentary on the telos of education as it relates to the history of American institutions of higher learning. The presenters raise a series of questions for a 20–25-minute Q&A period: To what extent do you think that these accounts of the telos of education are correct or compelling? To what extent, if at all, are they relevant to higher education in the 21st century? What, if any, are the differences between the telos of education at a four-year university and at a community college? Faculty should be prepared to engage in an extended discussion with the presenters and each other on all matters related to the telos of education.