Higher Education & Formation with Chris Higgins

Reclaiming the Formative Core | [00:03:00 → 00:06:00]
Higgins reflects on his journey through different educational institutions and how the modern university often forgets its deeper, formative mission.

Soul Action as Educational Ethic | [00:09:00 → 00:11:00]
Drawing from Dewey and Emerson, “soul action” describes the inner work of meaning-making, integration, and becoming—what education should ignite.

Against Premature Certainty | [00:06:45 → 00:08:15]
The stigma of being “undeclared” reveals a broader cultural pressure to have it all figured out too soon—college should be space for exploration, not acceleration.

Zombie Institutions & Ethical Renewal | [00:14:00 → 00:15:30]
Many educational practices run on autopilot. Higgins argues for renewing their moral core rather than endlessly creating new programs.

Third Spaces on Campus | [00:23:00 → 00:24:45]
Colleges must create spaces that aren’t just academic or social, but where students can think freely about meaning, identity, and vocation.

Black Mountain as Possibility | [00:25:30 → 00:31:00]
The now-defunct experimental college serves not as a model to replicate but as proof that integrative, student-led, art-centered education is possible.

Richer Vocation | [00:38:00 → 00:43:00]
True vocational formation requires discernment, moral reflection, the freedom to grow through work—and the courage to walk away when it no longer serves growth.

1. Inward Formation: “Soul action is about the inner work of becoming—figuring out what kind of life is worth living.”
   — Chris Higgins [00:10:50 → 00:11:00]
2. Educational Honesty: “Not all who wander are lost—but we treat them like they are.”
   — Chris Higgins [00:07:15 → 00:07:30]
3. Intellectual Renewal: “We don’t need more initiatives—we need to wake up the zombies.”
   — Chris Higgins [00:14:25 → 00:14:35]
4. Student as Explorer: “College should be a time to declare your undeclaredness—to explore the world and yourself.”
   — Chris Higgins [00:08:00 → 00:08:15]
5. Experimental Hope: “Black Mountain proved it could be done. Not scaled—but done.”
   — Chris Higgins [00:31:30 → 00:31:45]
6. Faculty Formation: “Faculty are lead learners—we must model the very process of becoming we ask of students.”
   — Chris Higgins [00:45:15 → 00:45:30]
7. Freedom to Leave: “What if a job reveals itself as an existential dead end? Are we preparing students to walk away?”
   — Chris Higgins [00:42:45 → 00:43:00]
8. Living Third Spaces: “We need intellectual spaces that aren’t just classrooms or parties—but places where students can think aloud.”
   — Chris Higgins [00:24:20 → 00:24:35]
9. Becoming, Not Just Being: “We are what we are not yet. Becoming is messy, and that’s the point.”
   — Chris Higgins [00:54:10 → 00:54:25]
10. Mature Education: “You’re in the wrong business if you don’t have a vision of what it means to flourish.”
    — Chris Higgins [00:51:40 → 00:51:55]