Magnus Podcast: Conversations from the Catacombs of Liberal Education Ep. 115 - Where Did We Go Wrong?: A Mediocre and Sentimental Education
Dec 10, 2025
Alec Bianco, Director of Marketing at the Searcy Institute and advocate for classical education, dives deep into the shortcomings of modern higher education. He highlights the alarming trend of colleges cutting humanities programs in favor of niche degrees, driven by financial pressures and administrative bloat. Alec contrasts the sentimental approach of contemporary education with the rigor of classical methods. He also emphasizes the growing interest in mentorship and apprenticeship models, as families turn to classical resources to reclaim meaningful learning.
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Higher Ed Has Been Co-Opted
- Colleges have been co-opted by ideologues who no longer care about students' souls.
- Donors should stop funneling millions into failing institutions that won't save culture.
Humanities Cuts Precede Collapse
- Private liberal arts colleges close after cutting humanities and chasing vocational degrees.
- The recurring pattern shows abandoning rigor and the humanities destroys institutional viability.
Administrator Bloat Undermines Mission
- Administrators have outgrown actual educators, producing institutional mediocrity.
- That ratio drives mission loss, higher costs, and eventual institutional failure.
