The Civitas Session #11: College Education: Its Complex Role in the Pursuit of Happiness

The Kravis Lab for Civic Leadership is pleased to invite you to part one of our series commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, CMC Professor Jon Shields will be our guest for a conversation on the relationship between today’s college education and the “pursuit of happiness” as envisioned by the Founders.  Drawing on examples from his teaching experiences, including his popular course American Culture Wars, Shields will discuss what students should strive for, as one of the fortunate ones who get to attend college; and how the “Diploma Divide” and the tension between freedom and tradition in modern life shape our culture and politics. Professor Shields will be in conversation with Vernon C. Grigg III, Executive Director of the Kravis Lab for Civic Leadership.

We hope that you will join us for lunch at the Ath on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025.

Civitas Sessions are lunches with a focus on civics. We focus on understanding the institutions and systems that are at the center of many questions we face in modern life. With a welcoming ‘come-as-you-are’ atmosphere, the Civitas Sessions focus on the stuff you need to know before it becomes the stuff I wish I had known…

RSVP Required on the Ath website: https://www.cmc.edu/athenaeum/college-education-its-complex-role-pursuit-happiness.

For questions, please email kravislab@cmc.edu.