I worry we have forgotten some of the important lessons of September 11th for higher education.

Like much of the nation, I can’t help but think back to that clear day in September, 2001.  I remember hearing someone on the train who had a cell phone talking about a plane hitting a building.  I think I noticed her because cell phones were still a novelty.  The idea of a plane hitting a building on purpose never occurred to me.  I had only been in Philadelphia for a few weeks starting graduate school.

By the time I got to the office, we all rushed down to the dean’s conference room to watch the news.  It was horrifying and shocking.  I had never been to New York City so I didn’t have a full appreciation for the magnitude of the moment unlike so many of my colleagues at the sight of the towers coming down.  The rest of the day is a blur of images.  Trying to get home, but told to leave 30th Street Station because there was a fear of a bomb.  Going back to sit by myself watching the news on a classroom computer.  Walking to the house and noticing a fighter jet overhead.  Even years later it is amazing the details of a single day that you remember.

As with the rest of the country, higher education was impacted by September 11th.

After any major tragedy, natural or man-made, support for making changes and attempting to avoid a repeat is quite strong.  As time goes along, we start falling back into our normal routines.  In many ways, I think this has happened with 9/11 and higher ed.  Specifically, there are three lessons that we would benefit from remembering on this anniversary.

1.  The necessity of foreign languages.

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, we had a desperate need for Arabic speakers.  We needed translators, military officers, and others that could speak the language.  As we now can confirm what we all expected at the time, Arabic isn’t going out of style any time soon.  This is a long term struggle and the need for those that understand and speak the language of that part of the world are vital.  This is true of many languages around the world.  Often these aren’t the fun languages that you can use on a Spring Break trip or a Study Abroad semester.

However, they are languages that we need to offer students.  Yet, when the recession hits, we start slashing foreign language departments.  The world is more interconnected now than at any point in history.  We need to offer students the opportunity to learn Arabic, Spanish, or any other foreign language.  Our strength as a nation and a people depend on it.

2.  We need international students— especially international graduate students.

One of the worst outcomes from 9/11 for higher education was the restriction on and decline in international graduate students.  Because of the backgrounds of some of the terrorists, we were worried that these people were using the knowledge learned in our graduate programs, particularly STEM programs, against us.  Even if true, we can’t shut off our graduate programs to international students.

The intellectual capital from those born abroad is one of the reasons we are strong and have enjoyed technological advances throughout our history.  The terrorists are in part fighting against our open society and the way we interact with the world.  We can’t allow them to restrict access to one of our best import and export machines: the American research enterprise.

3.  We need academic freedom most in a time of crisis.

Academic freedom is in the news a lot these days thanks to the Salaita case at Illinois (although I’ve argued that case isn’t about violating academic freedom).  One of the great tests facing higher education in the post-9/11 world was how we would handle academic freedom.  There were various cases across the country of faculty commenting on the events with mixed results.  The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill faced a controversy over using a book on the Quran as a freshman reading assignment.  It is easy to support academic freedom when nothing is happening in the world.

If we can support academic freedom even when we are attacked for our freedoms, then we are truly upholding the notion.

We have had many fights over questions of privacy, freedom, and security in the post-9/11 world.  I’m glad we’ve had these arguments.  It is what a great democracy should do.  We should have those same arguments in higher education as well.  Academic freedom is what enables us to have these spirited debates.  There is no better venue on the planet than a university to consider these issues.

What We Can’t Forget

It always strikes me how college students today have little understanding of the events of 9/11.  Of course, they were only young children at the time so it is understandable.  I will be thinking about the events of that day and how we responded (positively and negatively) as a nation.

We should take time to teach our students about that day.

For those of us leading in higher education, I hope we also take a moment to think about what we can’t forget as an institution.  The value of the role we play in engaging the rest of the world is vital.  Let’s recommit ourselves to supporting foreign languages, international students, and academic freedom.

I’d be proud if this is the legacy of September 11th in higher education.