131. To Think, or Not to Think - The Sad Trajectory of Liberal Arts in Universities and UTulsa's Honors College : Jennifer A. Frey (Former Dean of UTulsa's Honors College)
Mon Feb 02 2026
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This interview is a bit different from other episodes. I sit down with Dr. Jennifer A. Frey, the former Dean of the University of Tulsa’s Honors College. If you’ve been following the Lessons for Interesting People podcast on Substack, you will know I wrote an article about Tulsa’s honors college recently. I committed to UTulsa because the university seemed to have accomplished the impossible: combine a computer science college filled with research opportunities with an Honors College whose mission was to analyze and debate the great works of the Western tradition in a vibrant community of professors and peers.
That’s why I was distressed, when seven weeks before school was set to begin, UTulsa decided to “restructure their program” without any clear information on what exactly this meant.
In this interview, Dr. Frey discusses the purpose of higher education.
Is it simply to equip you for the workplace? Or, is it to teach you the habits of mind to think freely? Then, we dive into the truth about why programs like UTulsa’s Honors College are not being supported by their universities. According to Dr. Frey, it’s not the cost.
Topics:
The State of Higher Education: What is the Purpose of the University?What is a Liberal Education?The Honors College of the University of Tulsa: the Dream, its Present, and its Precarious Future"What books have had an impact on you?""What advice do you have for teenagers?"
Bio:
Dr. Jennifer A. Frey is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tulsa. She previously served as the inaugural Dean of the Honors College at the University of Tulsa. Before coming to the University of Tulsa, she was an Associate Professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina, where she was also a Peter and Bonnie McCausland Faculty Fellow in the College of Arts and Sciences. Prior to her tenure at Carolina, she was a Collegiate Assistant Professor the Humanities at the University of Chicago, and a junior fellow of the Society for the Liberal Arts
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Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/
Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon
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Send us a text This interview is a bit different from other episodes. I sit down with Dr. Jennifer A. Frey, the former Dean of the University of Tulsa’s Honors College. If you’ve been following the Lessons for Interesting People podcast on Substack, you will know I wrote an article about Tulsa’s honors college recently. I committed to UTulsa because the university seemed to have accomplished the impossible: combine a computer science college filled with research opportunities with an Honors College whose mission was to analyze and debate the great works of the Western tradition in a vibrant community of professors and peers. That’s why I was distressed, when seven weeks before school was set to begin, UTulsa decided to “restructure their program” without any clear information on what exactly this meant. In this interview, Dr. Frey discusses the purpose of higher education. Is it simply to equip you for the workplace? Or, is it to teach you the habits of mind to think freely? Then, we dive into the truth about why programs like UTulsa’s Honors College are not being supported by their universities. According to Dr. Frey, it’s not the cost. Topics: The State of Higher Education: What is the Purpose of the University?What is a Liberal Education?The Honors College of the University of Tulsa: the Dream, its Present, and its Precarious Future"What books have had an impact on you?""What advice do you have for teenagers?" Bio: Dr. Jennifer A. Frey is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tulsa. She previously served as the inaugural Dean of the Honors College at the University of Tulsa. Before coming to the University of Tulsa, she was an Associate Professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina, where she was also a Peter and Bonnie McCausland Faculty Fellow in the College of Arts and Sciences. Prior to her tenure at Carolina, she was a Collegiate Assistant Professor the Humanities at the University of Chicago, and a junior fellow of the Society for the Liberal Arts Socials - Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/ Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon