Universities used to focus entirely on education, but these days, they are often much more interested in other things — political activism in particular. Another aspect of mission creep is the way they think they should catalyze economic growth in their communities.

In today’s Martin Center article, Jenna Robinson discusses a case of a university that’s going way beyond its educational mission.

She writes, “In 2021, the UNC Board of Governors voted to designate roughly 200 acres near UNC Asheville a ‘millennial campus.’ The designation gives UNCA more options to develop the land, permitting, for example, public-private partnerships and unfair competition with private businesses. Earlier this year, UNCA began the process of developing at least some of its new millennial campus, but not everyone is happy.”

Opposition to this new campus has led to a petition against it. The petitioners want to preserve a forest that UNCA wants for development. They think that UNCA can perform its educational function perfectly well with its current campus.

Robinson continues, “As I have often argued, millennial campuses and other commercial property-management represent serious mission creep at universities. This is especially true at UNCA, which, until 2022, was devoted to undergraduate liberal arts. Prior to 2022, UNCA described itself as ‘the state of North Carolina’s designated public liberal arts university’ and touted its liberal-arts curriculum.”

Just try to do that better.