Johnny can’t read — even in college. I lead a university and it’s terrifying

A stunning report revealed that many university professors now find themselves teaching students who struggle to read, not just to interpret literature or write essays, but to understand basic text on a page. According to Fortune, a growing number of Gen Z students enter college unable to “read effectively,” forcing professors to break down even simple passages line by line.

That trend should alarm every parent, employer and policymaker in this country. It is not just an academic concern. It is a cultural crisis.

At its core, education is the cultivation of the mind. It is the ability to grapple with ideas, wrestle with complexity and communicate meaningfully with others. Those are not optional extras. They are essential for success in the workplace, in civil society and in a free nation.

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As university leaders, we cannot simply diagnose the problem. We must also take responsibility for the role higher education has played in lowering expectations, prioritizing comfort over competence and treating students as consumers instead of future leaders. Universities have spent years chasing satisfaction scores and graduation rates while quietly sacrificing the intellectual foundations that make real formation possible.

What happens when students don’t learn to read deeply? They lose the ability to think deeply.

Reading shapes more than academic skills. It forms attention spans, builds empathy, strengthens discipline and stretches the imagination. These are the very traits that make leadership and community possible. When students are conditioned to skim headlines, scroll social media, or rely on AI summaries, they lose not just literacy. They lose the habits that sustain wisdom and maturity.

And employers see the effects. According to surveys cited in the same Fortune report, a significant portion of Gen Z graduates feel unprepared for the workforce. Many cite difficulty with communication, lack of real-world exposure and anxiety over professional expectations. The disconnect between what universities offer and what the marketplace demands is widening.

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That should concern us. Not because young people are inherently incapable. Quite the opposite. They are smart, creative and full of potential. But potential without formation leads to frustration. And that is where too many students find themselves: anxious, underprepared and overpromised.

So where did higher education go wrong?

Part of the problem lies in culture. Nearly half of U.S. adults read no books at all last year, and Gen Z reads fewer than any prior generation. But the problem is also institutional. In the name of flexibility or equity, many universities have quietly lowered standards, cut reading requirements and simplified curriculum to avoid student discomfort.

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This approach may feel compassionate. In reality, it is condescending.

Universities should be leading the way in rebuilding a culture of learning. That begins with restoring the dignity of hard reading, deep thinking and intellectual perseverance. These are not relics of a bygone era. They are prerequisites for leadership, responsibility and growth.

At Southeastern, we form students to read deeply, think critically and lead faithfully. They wrestle with ideas in community and pursue truth through both reason and faith. That is not elitism. It is discipleship. It is preparation for leadership.

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We have built our model on the belief that students rise when we raise the bar, not when we lower it. Our classrooms are grounded in biblical wisdom, academic excellence and a vision of education that forms the whole person: intellectually, spiritually, and vocationally.

This is the kind of education students are craving, whether they realize it yet or not. And it is the kind of leadership American higher education urgently needs.

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We do not have to accept a generation that struggles to read. But we do have to build institutions that expect more, form more and prepare students to lead. Not just in their careers, but in their character.

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Because if we fail to form students with the ability to read, we will fail to form the citizens who preserve freedom, the leaders who pursue justice and the believers who carry truth into every corner of culture.

The stakes are too high to stay silent.