By Robert K. Vischer

Ask anyone you know in higher education today, and they’ll tell you there are always two notable things about this point of the fall: first, the semester is already more than halfway over (where did the time go?) and secondly, their admissions colleagues are on the road already working feverishly to recruit next fall’s freshman class (again, where did the time go?).

The academic calendar is very cyclical and predictable. But we within higher ed would be foolish to treat this cycle as routine. Even now as high school seniors are narrowing down their list of colleges and universities, many are also wondering if those lists shouldn’t be altogether scrapped. With rising public concern about whether college offers a sound economic return on investment (ROI), can you blame them?

At a time when economic pressures continue to be constricting, students and their families are right to scrutinize the ROI of a college degree. And as for us in higher ed … while we should be attentive to future earnings-to-debt ratios, if that’s all we’re concerned about, then we’re failing our future leaders, innovators and changemakers.

Now is the time to recall and reclaim an educational mission that has fallen out of favor in some circles: our responsibility for the formation of the whole person — developing graduates of knowledge, character, purpose and vision. What our students need — and what the world needs from our students — is so much more than job skills.

First, higher ed needs to better equip students with social skills: working collaboratively, building relationships across difference, recognizing the dignity of every person they meet, and developing the self-awareness that only comes through meaningful and sustained interaction with others.

This has always been vital, but the need is urgent among today’s students, and not just because of pandemic-driven isolation. Culture wars and identity politics dominate the national narrative, while echo chambers strengthen one-sided rationale, leading straight to a dead end. Now more than ever, the ability to find mutual understanding is critical to advancing human flourishing.

Further, in the age of Artificial Intelligence, developing socially will be even more important for professional success. In fact, McKinsey found that, in the coming years, the biggest increase in demand by employers will be emotional and social skills, in addition to technological skills.

Second, higher ed needs to help students develop a sense of purpose, as research shows that this contributes to happiness, mental health and resilience. And it is too often in short supply among incoming students who, as Gallup reports, are the loneliest age cohort in America.

Learning job skills can increase confidence and competence, but helping a student develop a deeper sense of purpose requires more. When I meet with students to discuss career plans, I start by asking what energized them (or not) about their past part-time jobs — that question almost always leads to a conversation about purpose. By being attentive to purpose, colleges can and should help students discover the joy of contributing to a story that is bigger than themselves.

Third, higher ed needs to give students opportunities to develop a sense of awe toward the world, which can help overcome the rampant self-absorption that is destroying our social fabric.

One powerful way to do this is to help cultivate their appreciation of the beauty all around us. A University of Michigan psychologist recently found that a high appreciation of beauty promotes recovery from depression and anxiety, while a Berkeley psychologist observed that the experience of awe helps us recognize the small part we play in a much bigger world. Encouraging our students — regardless of their major — to spend time with art, or in nature, is an inescapable part of whole-person formation. Appreciating beauty helps students recognize that they are not the center of the universe, and that can translate into a more fulfilling engagement with the world, as well as stronger commitments to helping others and caring for the environment.

Colleges and universities should work to prepare our students for the workforce as efficiently as possible. But that should never be the extent of our aspirations. We must help our students embark on meaningful careers, to be sure, but higher education must also reclaim responsibility for the whole person, guiding and supporting our students as they prepare for meaningful, morally responsible lives.

Our success in helping to form the whole person won’t be easily captured in a ranking or data point, but we can’t disregard this responsibility to our students, their families and the broader world.

Robert K. Vischer is the 16th president of the University of St. Thomas. Vischer has more than 18 years of experience in higher education, previously serving as a professor and as dean of the university’s law school.