"Broad-based or universal education is the prerequisite of democratic institutions, the motive force behind economic growth, the preserver of culture, the foundation of rational discourse, the best means to social upward mobility, and the guarantor of civilization."

This statement made by the California Postsecondary Education Commission was meant to acknowledge to need for increased funding and improvements to California's institutes of higher education. But beyond these purposes, this statement embodies the fundamental principles of what becomes of a higher education. When one goes beyond viewing education as a rigid plan and begins to see it as a dynamic process with lifelong attributes than one can began to see the true meaning and purpose of a higher education. And though it is difficult to sum those purposes up in just one statement, nevertheless, a higher education should educate the individual, enhance our society, and ultimately, enlighten our world.

The first purpose of education, that of educating the individual, lies at the root of our educational system. Indeed, the interaction of teachers and students in the classroom setting engaged in the process of learning is what most people believe to be the very embodiment of education. But beyond the lengthy lectures and complicated labs the student is asked to find the meaning behind all of this data he must process. It is not enough to simply regurgitate abstract and irrelevant facts just to pass an examination. In the collegiate institute of higher learning the student must dig deeper and ponder harder in order to extract the meaning out of his subject matter; to transform facts into functional knowledge that he can readily apply to both himself and his world. This is what the founders of higher education envisioned when they wrote those seemingly virtuous mission statements for their respective institutions. They wanted their students to be more than just knowledgeable, they wanted them to get an education.

The second purpose of higher education, to enhance our society, is a natural extension of being educated. It can be arguably said that deep down in the hearts of every educator their goal is not just to teach you selected knowledge from a particular subject matter, but to give you new ideas and bold concepts that you can take with you long after you leave their classroom. It is equally their hope that you will be a credit to them by integrating these ideas and concepts into a life of service for a society that has invested so heavily into your education. The concept of giving back to your community is more than just a nice catch phrase for promoting community service; it is the obligation of every student to pay back the debts of love and sacrifice that were made by his family, friends, neighbors, and community as a whole.

The third purpose of a higher education, to enlighten our world, is perhaps the most difficult to perceive. While we can readily see the positive benefits of gaining an education and in turn using that education to enhance our society, the idea of enlightening the world in which we live in is something that few people have ever seen in their own lifetimes. Yet, if one were asked to produce a list of people who have made the world a better place, it would take little time to formulate a lengthy list of candidates. The one thing that all these people would share wouldn't necessarily be a formal education, but the selfless use of their education and talents to serve their fellow man. None of these people could have known what history would say about them or their contributions, yet, their collective efforts have made an unmistakable mark on our world today. In a similar way, a higher education that is thoroughly grounded in sustenance and actively disseminated into ones life will ultimately have an enlightening affect upon the world in which we live. And though that person may never receive any kind of formal recognition for his achievements, the knowledge that his education has helped at least one more person is a reward unto itself and another small step towards enlightening our world.

The statement by the California Postsecondary Education Commission at the beginning of this essay is more than just a fanciful way of accentuating the critical need for increased funding of California's institutes of higher education; it is more than just wordy jargon meant to enhance the commission's written report; it is what every student wants, every educators hopes for, and what our world needs. Indeed, it is difficult to sum up the purposes of higher education in just one simple essay, nevertheless, the purposes of higher education lie beyond the collections of just intellectual books and studious papers. Higher education is something that not only educates the student and enhances society, but even much more, higher education is the vision and hope that enlightens our world and makes our lives worth living.