Transparency Now or Regulation Later

"Doctors predicted Wayne Frederick, the president of Howard University, wouldn't live past 8. Now he's 54. Frederick came to the U.S. from Trinidad and Tobago with a dream of finding a cure for his disease, sickle cell anemia, but detoured into higher ed administration. At an event hosted by the American Council on Education at Howard University this week, Frederick said CRISPR gene editing, a technology developed in academia, made his dream a reality."

"Finding cures to debilitating diseases is one of "the intangible things that higher ed does to change lives," he said. Higher ed has changed lives in thousands of other ways; institutions are the largest employers in 10 states; colleges have helped regenerate many of America's Rust Belt centers. Higher education is undeniably a public good. But as concerns grow about the affordability of college, do Americans care?"

Wayne Frederick, president of Howard University, survived a childhood prognosis to die before age 8 and emigrated from Trinidad and Tobago motivated to seek a cure for sickle cell anemia. CRISPR gene-editing technology, developed in academia, enabled realization of that medical dream. Higher education acts as a major economic engine, serving as the largest employer in ten states and contributing to the regeneration of many Rust Belt communities. The public-good value of colleges contrasts with growing concerns about college affordability and student loan burdens. The debate centers on whether higher education primarily benefits individuals or society at large.

Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs