Published March 14, 2025
National Review Online
The Utah legislature is currently considering a bill (Senate Bill 334) that could jump-start a major reform of America’s higher education system. The bill, sponsored by Senator John Johnson, would require every student at Utah State University to take a full year-and-a-half course in Western civilization and an additional one-semester course in American civics.
The bill describes these courses in some detail and ensures that they will be taught under the auspices of an independent academic unit (called the Center for Civic Excellence) dedicated to the principles of classic liberal education.
Click here to continue reading.
Stanley Kurtz is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Beyond his work with Education and American Ideals, Mr. Kurtz is a key contributor to American public debates on a wide range of issues from K–12 and higher education reform, to the challenges of democratization abroad, to urban-suburban policies, to the shaping of the American left’s agenda. Mr. Kurtz has written on these and other issues for various journals, particularly National Review Online (where he is a contributing editor).
