Author David Brooks urges FSU audience to find purpose, passion in higher education

Bestselling author and commentator David Brooks told a full house at Florida State University on Thursday that universities are the “chief engines of our national culture,” and that it’s the job of higher education to help students discover new ideas and energize their passions. 

“My view of higher education is that our job is not only to provide information and expand knowledge — that’s of course part of the job — but it’s also to help students find new things to love,” Brooks said. “That’s what my college did for me.”  

Brooks delivered the remarks at Ruby Diamond Concert Hall during an event hosted by FSU’s Institute for Governance and Civics. His talk, which kicked off IGC’s Fall 2026 Speaker Series, was followed by a conversation with President Richard McCullough about the challenges and rapid changes facing higher education today.  

The author of books including “The Road to Character” and “How to Know a Person,” Brooks spent 22 years as an opinion columnist for The New York Times before joining The Atlantic as a staff writer earlier this year. He also became Yale’s first presidential senior fellow, a five-year appointment that includes lectures and conversations examining questions about meaning, community and institutions. 

McCullough said the idea to invite Brooks to FSU came after he heard him speak at a gathering of university presidents and was impressed by his perspectives on higher education. 

Brooks weaved anecdotes from history, modern culture and his personal experiences to describe his views on American culture, society and education. He spoke about seeing the gleam in people’s eyes, especially his students, when they are interested, excited or engaged.  

“The gleam is my vision of America,” he said. “We are a country that energizes. We’re not the most civilized culture, we’re not the most cultured culture, but we’re about energy and movement. That is the spirit of our democracy.”  

Brooks said that an emphasis on this gleam, or inner fire, is important in a time when people are pessimistic, divided and often lonely. 

“It’s especially important in the age of AI,” he said. “Before the age of AI, the real scarcity in the world was knowledge and information. In the age of AI, knowledge and information are plentiful.” 

Brooks said that some people will rely on AI to not have to think hard, while others will use AI to think more and become smarter. 

“In my view, what a school’s purpose is in the age of AI is to teach people to want to think hard, to care about subjects so much that they’re going to be willing to think hard and keep their mental skills sharp,” he said. 

Brooks closed on a note of hope for America and for higher education. He said meaningful change will not come from politicians focused on fundraising or elections, but from people within institutions like FSU — students, faculty and others who are connected to a deeper sense of purpose. 

“That’s why I say (that institutions of) higher education are the cathedrals of our national culture and have the responsibility and the opportunity to make some big changes,” he said. 

Ryan Owens, director of the Institute for Governance and Civics, opened the event with remarks about the institute’s mission and recent work, and Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Jim Clark introduced Brooks.  

For more information about IGC’s Fall 2026 Speaker Series, visit igc.fsu.edu. 

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