At SXSW, Snyder Makes Case for Courageous Leadership

In his return appearance at SXSW EDU, Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D., made an energetic appeal for educators to reclaim the bold purpose of the academy: to educate not just minds, but also change-makers, leaders, and even hearts.

Snyder, president of Loyola Marymount University for 10 years, leaned into his nearly four decades of experience in Jesuit higher education to make a case for courageous leadership, focusing on and engaging with students at deeper levels to build trust.

He acknowledged from the outset that higher education is facing difficulties: "Higher education according to some is worthless, certainly according to others it is worth less. This is the roughest time ever to be in higher education," Snyder told the audience in Austin, Texas.

Snyder has long been a champion of what he terms the Solidarity Generation, a generation that has gone through a wide array of life experiences, "much more calamitous in their time than has been the case in the past." Still, he noted, "they do have extraordinary unity." He underscored that this generation values diversity, is passionate about the environment, and is worried about the economy, safety, and mental health. Snyder said this generation is often mischaracterized as apolitical, but that their engagement is linked to their broader concerns.

Snyder emphasized that this Solidarity Generation has a deep trust in science but little confidence in politicians and political structures as vehicles for change.

Rebuilding trust, Snyder said, begins with understanding what the student population needs from academic leaders. It begins with helping students prepare for the workforce. "They want to know why they need to know what we're trying to teach them," he said, and they need reassurance.

First among Snyder's recommendations is deep engagement, not shying away from difficult conversations and situations but facing them forthrightly. "Think of students' talents as gifts to be developed," which puts educators in solidarity with students.

Snyder also leaned on the adage "meet them where they are," being at ease with whatever differences they may have and guiding them in their discerning process. Stressing their care for one another, Snyder said, "You can dismantle DEI in all your schools, but our students aren't arriving as empty containers waiting to be filled; they are bringing this solidarity and these passions with them on the way in. And you better get busy and acknowledge it rather than trying to get rid of it by 'blanking' with the curriculum."

He offered a stark warning against the tendency to take a single event or a single frame of data and turn it into something that usually portends a terrible future. Snyder used the miscalculation of the influence of MOOCs (massive open online courses) on higher education, which many feared would undermine traditional universities but has complemented conventional education methods.

Snyder talked about the efforts at LMU to partner with students by giving them timely, accurate information about practical matters impacting the university, with the goal of empowering students while upholding the values of the institution.

"This really is the best time to be a leader in higher ed," Snyder said, "because the difference we can make - particularly because the challenges are so deep - is enormous."