By Geoff Adelsberg, Associate Ombuds - University Ombuds

The Roots That Sustain Us: Connecting to Purpose in Higher Education’s Crisis of Confidence

Do you believe that higher education is service to the public good? If you also work in higher education, you and I probably believe that it is. Nationally, however, we’ve become a minority. In the last ten years, trust in higher education has plummeted: According to Gallup, an estimated 57 percent of Americans had “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education in 2015, a figure that dropped to 36 percent by 2023. Among those who identified as Republicans, the figure is just 20%.

I joined Virginia Tech nearly four months ago and am proud to work at a public university with a mission of service. In my time here I’ve been reflecting on what it means to live as public servants when a significant portion of the public we see ourselves as serving says, “No, thank you.”

Being of service in a situation where our work is viewed with suspicion or distrust raises important questions. Is our work truly the service we believe it to be? Is there a communication gap where the work we do is misunderstood or overshadowed by other concerns? Regardless of our answers, we’re in a moment when government policy reflects this public distrust. The funds we rely on are under threat or disappearing. The policies that brought stability to our professional lives are being rewritten.

These challenges can motivate us to narrow our focus and hope for a return to the stability we once felt. Fear of loss can push us to stockpile resources, even at the expense of others. When survival seems at stake, these reactions are understandable. Yet, I want to suggest a strategy that may feel counterintuitive during uncertain times: Remember what and who matters to you. Connect to those people, your values, and the service that brings meaning to your life.

There may be strategic reasons to build a war chest or avoid making waves. But before pursuing survival strategies or even trying to understand why these changes are happening, it’s essential to know your “what” and “why.” After all, we don’t survive for survival’s sake—we do so for our values, our people, for beauty, and happiness, whatever each of these means to you. So, ask yourself: What brings you meaning and joy? How can you nourish those relationships and deepen your commitment to your values?

Consider the analogy of our lives to a tree. The people, things, and values that matter to us form our root system. Anything we’ve achieved in our lives and careers are branches. Trying to survive a storm can be so overwhelming that it’s hard to recognize we have choices in how to respond. Because branches are the most visible, we might sacrifice care for our roots in the effort to maintain our branches, without even realizing it.

When we take time to clarify what truly matters and connect to those people and things, we strengthen our capacity to navigate challenges with integrity and grace. As an ombuds, I experience this firsthand. Visitors—often people I’ve never met before—invest tremendous trust in my work. They speak honestly about issues they’ve often rarely voiced before, especially within the university context. This connection with visitors is the heart of my work—it’s precious and sacred to me.

When uncertainty makes the future of my life’s work less predictable, when I worry about supporting my family, I often find myself wondering what it will take to preserve what I have. Yet this question tends to provoke more anxiety than well-formulated plans. If instead I connect to the heart of what I do—building relationships and supporting people struggling with challenges—my focus widens. I can both loosen my grip on the specific form my work currently takes (recognizing there are multiple ways to continue doing what matters to me) and remain connected to the people and activities that genuinely energize me, where I’m supporting others while finding fulfillment myself.

This connection not only guides me through challenging times by showing me where to direct my energy and resources—it also helps me advocate more effectively for the work we do. When we speak passionately about our work and the vision that drives us, we illuminate the broader importance of higher education. Much of the current discourse suggests universities operate with ulterior motives. But when we articulate the genuine care we bring to education and to contributing to others’ wellbeing, our words have the power to invite a more generous consideration of our work and its value to society

I invite you to make an appointment with the University Ombuds Office (ombuds@vt.edu) to have a thought-partner in times of uncertainty. In case you’d like to work independently, here are some questions for reflection:

  1. What aspects of your work in higher education bring you the most meaning and purpose, especially during times when public trust is low?
  2. Using the tree analogy from the post, what would you identify as your “root system” (core values, relationships, and motivations) versus your “branches” (achievements and career milestones)?
  3. How has the decline in public trust toward higher education affected your approach to your work, and what strategies have you developed to maintain your sense of purpose?
  4. In what specific ways could you better communicate the genuine care and service orientation behind your work to those who may be skeptical about higher education’s value?