Higher Ed:
Innovation for the Public Good

Reclaiming the Promise of Higher Education

Higher education isn’t just about classrooms. It’s about cures, clean water, local jobs, and community resilience.

Everywhere you look, public investment in colleges and universities changes lives.

From Curiosity to Cure

When Princeton chemist Edward Taylor, PhD, started studying the color in butterfly wings, he wasn’t chasing a cure for cancer. Years later, that same research led to a revolutionary lung cancer drug, saving lives worldwide.

Why Higher Ed?

  • We live in a fast-paced world, where new technological innovations happen at lightening speeds. To thrive in this environment, our students need advanced skills that set them up for career success and meet workforce demands.

  • The US is known for its spirit of innovation. Higher education institutions provide an environment for innovation to thrive and grow. Whether its a new research breakthrough, the development of a new meat substitute, or improvements in agricultural practices, colleges and universities are critical to the process of innovation.

  • From medical studies that lead to life-saving treatments to agricultural innovations that increase yields, colleges and universities solve problems that directly affect local industries and quality of life.

  • In order to be engaged citizens, students need to know how our local, state, and federal governments function, and the historical context in which society operates. Higher education institutions prepare students to work across differences and uphold democratic institutions.

At a Glance: The Impacts of Higher Ed Research

$796B

Economic output from the Human Genome Project, a $3.8B public investment.

$2.56

Economic activity generated for every $1 invested by the National Institutes of Health in 2024.

80+ Years

Length of the U.S. federal-university research partnership that has driven innovation from radar to the internet.

The Issues

  • Academic freedom is critical to a thriving research community. With academic freedom, open inquiry is protected, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and civil discourse.

    This freedom allows researchers to pursue knowledge without political interference. Like the butterfly example above, we often do not know which research project may produce invaluable results that can change the world.

  • Independent governance allows higher education institutions to make decisions based on expertise and mission, not shifting political winds, ensuring stability for students, faculty, and the economy.

  • Higher education institutions exist not for profit, but for the public good. Investment in higher education returns far more than it costs, through higher earnings, healthier communities, and stronger civic participation.

What’s at Stake

Federal policies that undermine higher education risk damaging local economies, limiting opportunity, and eroding the very freedoms that have fueled America’s growth. Strong, independent, well-supported colleges and universities are essential to keep our nation competitive, prosperous, and free.