The university is one of the few institutions in contemporary U.S. culture that is dedicated to the practice of critical thinking, which is one of the reasons I was attracted to a career as a faculty member. My own experience of critical thinking has led to an often harsh critique of the systems and structures of power that define contemporary life. That kind of critique, I’ve learned, is not the norm in universities. In the essay “UT Motto Modification: What Starts Here … Accelerates Destruction?” I analyze my concerns about the ways in which universities not only aren’t helping solve the serious problems we face but are contributing to the speed of our decline.

The Austin Post, where this essay was first posted, also ran a piece I wrote that was critical of the UT football program, “Learning to Hate Longhorn Football.” I appreciate their willingness to tackle such subjects.