The late Charlie Kirk spent much of his time as CEO of Turning Point USA not in a corner office but on college campuses, sparring with students in open debates. His go-to challenge was simple: “Prove me wrong.”

One of his favorite topics was the value of higher education itself. Kirk, who dropped out of Harper College outside Chicago before building an $85 million-a-year nonprofit , argued that too many young people pursue degrees out of habit rather than purpose.

“College is supposed to provide a pathway to financial security and career success,” he wrote in an op-ed in 2022. “That promise is true for fewer and fewer graduates.”

Kirk believed universities had drifted away from teaching critical skills like writing and problem solving, focusing instead on conformity while saddli

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