Before the Tassel Turns: A Real-World Guide to College and Beyond

As commencement speeches echo across the country, former Skidmore president urges students & their families to embrace the deeper purpose of a college education

SARATOGA SPRINGS , NY, UNITED STATES, May 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As another class of high school and college graduates steps across the stage this spring, the question looms larger than ever: What kind of future are they inheriting—and have we prepared them for it?

In an era marked by polarization, campus unrest and an erosion of trust in democracy, today’s young adults are stepping into a world marked less by promise than by uncertainty.

And yet, says Dr. Philip Glotzbach, “We still treat commencement as a celebration of personal success. But we are falling short if we fail to equip students for the moral and civic challenges ahead.” “Higher education must do more than just transmit knowledge or prepare students for jobs,” he says. “It must help them develop the intellectual courage, ethical clarity, and historical understanding to act responsibly as citizens in a democratic society. They really are deciding what kind of adults they want to be and what sort of world they want to live in.”

This belief—shaped by decades of service in higher education leadership—forms the foundation of Embrace Your Freedom, Glotzbach’s recent book, which offers a personal, practical guide to the transition from adolescence to adulthood through the college journey.

Released last summer, the book has quietly gained traction among parents, educators, and students looking for deeper meaning in the college experience.

Reviews have recognized the book’s timely and earnest message:

“Embrace Your Freedom is more than just a guidebook—it’s a heartfelt and deeply practical manual for launching young adults into the world,” wrote the LA Book Review. “What elevates this book beyond standard college prep fare is its emphasis on lifelong learning, civic engagement, and personal integrity.”

Noting its relevance in the age of AI and disinformation, Kirkus highlighted Glotzbach’s warnings about the consequences of academic dishonesty and the need to “broaden students’ horizons” by taking good risks.

The Midwest Book Review echoed this, calling it “exceptionally informative and thoroughly reader friendly,” and “unreservedly recommended” for family, high school, and college library collections. With chapters on mission, meaning, failure, and citizenship, the book urges students to make a “lifelong commitment to becoming an informed, responsible, and caring citizen.”

This message, says Glotzbach, is more urgent now than when he first sat down to write the book.

Glotzbach’s recent work includes an op-ed for The Fulcrum as well as multiple articles for Grown & Flown, where he is a regular contributor on the intersection of parenting, education, and civic responsibility. Upcoming author events include a June 8 appearance at Barnes & Noble in Burlington, Vermont, and an August 9 talk hosted by Notre Dame University’s Northeast New York alumni chapter in Albany. He has also been featured on WAMC Northeast Public Radio’s The Roundtable and other national podcasts.

In a graduation season shaped by polarization, protest and profound questions, Glotzbach’s voice is a calm, principled call to widen our lens—and our responsibility.

About the Author

Dr. Philip A. Glotzbach served as the seventh president of Skidmore College from 2003 to 2020 and is a lifelong advocate for liberal arts education as a foundation for democratic citizenship. A philosopher by training, he is known for his thoughtful, student-centered leadership and for championing intellectual courage, ethical reflection, and civic engagement across the undergraduate experience.

He contributes regularly to Grown & Flown and has written on civic renewal for The Albany Times-Union and The Fulcrum. His recent book, "Embrace Your Freedom: Winning Strategies to Succeed in College and in Life" is available through major booksellers. Learn more at PhilipGlotzbach.com

Sarah Wilson
PoP! Communications Campaigns
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