In my freshman year at Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW), I felt a sense of purpose: I was attending one of Wisconsin’s few Christian colleges, avoiding the state colleges that I had heard horror stories about. Heading down the hall to my first call of the day, Christian Citizenship, I was shocked to sees posters featuring women such as Kamala Harris and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This was in 2021, before Harris’s failed presidential campaign, but certainly during a time when she was one of the celebrated faces of the Democratic Party.
I stopped in my tracks, confused and slightly concerned, but figured it was just a fluke. Certainly, this self-professed Christian college wouldn’t promote a prominent political figure who supported abortion and LGBT rights, right?
Over the next two years, I periodically discovered more red flags at my school. Certain professors stated that they wouldn’t feel comfortable teaching To Kill A Mockingbird because of its discussions about race. Other professors wasted class time expounding the value of “mindfulness” above academic excellence. The college refused to answer any questions about the Black Student Union’s promotion of apartheid.
Things finally came to a head when Rev. Dr. Gregory Schultz was suspended from his teaching role for criticizing the university’s “woke” culture. Schultz’s essay, Woke Dysphoria at Concordia, called out the school for promoting DEI and “equity” programs. It was resolved through a settlement, but Schultz ultimately retired from teaching.
It comes as no surprise that in 2025, in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, CUW’s first response was to prevent a TPUSA chapter from being recognized on campus. The University initially denied the chapter president’s request due to his unwillingness to publicly condemn the “Professor Watchlist.”
The Professor Watchlist is a Turning Point-sponsored tool often used by students to determine which professors have a history of promoting liberal ideologies. The Watchlist doesn’t slander professors but merely gives students an accurate understanding of how radical their instructors may be. The school gave the chapter president an ultimatum: Either publicly reject the Watchlist or we will not give you a platform.
CUW eventually went on to recognize the TPUSA chapter only after widespread social media criticism from influential figures such as Elon Musk and Rob Schneider. The university made no attempt to defend itself or explain why it suddenly changed its mind. It took nothing less than national outrage to cave to a perfectly reasonable demand.
CUW is not the only Christian school that bends the knee to liberal ideologies. From pre-school to post-Bachelor’s programs, it has become difficult for Christian schools to maintain their integrity. The attempt to please a large student body has caused doctrinal shifts on growing campuses. Places like Grove City College struggled to uphold their principles after the radical movements of 2020. Even schools like Harvard and Belmont, who were once closely tied to their Christian heritage, have abandoned these principles. It’s only after the schools’ radicalism is exposed and goes viral that they are willing to make any changes.
For many years, colleges saw themselves as infallible. In another era, a college degree was the ticket to a high-salaried career and a comfortable, prosperous life. The idea that success was intrinsically linked to a college education became standardized. From the age kids can read, grade schools push college-readiness. Deciding which college a child attends is often treated with more gravitas than deciding on their spouse.
Young people are starting to push back. A degree is no longer a ticket to success. In actuality, many Gen Z college graduates have the same unemployment rate as those who only have high school diplomas. Worse, they’re graduating with debt; Gen Z currently has the fastest-growing amount of student debt and are making low monthly payments, typically under $200. These young kids are saddled with debt that they will be paying off well into adulthood, a luxury that those with high school diplomas don’t have to worry about.
As a result, less of Gen Z is going to college and are instead entering the workforce through trades and apprenticeships. Between 2019 and 2022, undergraduate admissions dropped 8 percent and projections suggest that this declining trend may continue. The fiscal value of a college education has diminished.
Without the financial benefit of colleges, the only other thing that they can offer to young people is a virtuous education. Unfortunately, as schools shy away from Christianity, they also shy away from truth. They sacrifice the excellence of their institution in favor of “inclusivity” and “social justice.” Or, as in CUW’s case, in favor of suppressing TPUSA’s freedom of speech.
These schools should be ashamed that they need to reverse their decisions when they’re caught succumbing to liberalism. It’s good that CUW changed its position, but it should never have been a problem to establish a Turning Point chapter at a Christian college. It only helps confirm the university’s weak approach to the social justice fad.
Shortly after Rev. Dr. Schultz’s clash with CUW, I transferred to Hillsdale College. The school was dedicated to freedom, faith, learning, and character. It required that the student body understand the value of its Western heritage and uphold the doctrines of Christianity and self-government that are crucial to a flourishing society. Hillsdale’s motto is “Virtus Tentamine Gaudet,” Latin for “Strength rejoices in the challenge.” Weak universities need to understand that what young adults need now more than ever is a place to build their strength.