Is higher education in trouble? What are the functions and values of traditional higher education – colleges and universities — in an era with so many alternatives? How much should colleges cater to job requirements, the pursuit of bigger salaries, and garnering credentials? Should higher education aim to lead students toward the best in human achievement and creativity? Is it all wasted on the young, or is the cost simply too high?

The Jefferson Center invites members and guests to discuss these and related themes from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12 at The Jefferson Center, in the Historic Ashland Armory, 208 Oak St., Ashland.

The discussion will be facilitated by Joseph Graf, Jefferson Center Board member and former Dean of Sciences at Southern Oregon University. Serving as resources to aid our discussion of these broad topics will be Charles Lane and Steve Thorpe, former faculty members and administrators at a number of private and public institutions in Oregon, Texas, Hawaii and California.

Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public. It is part of the Salon series of The Jefferson Center, a Rogue Valley nonprofit focused on critical thinking using secular humanist values to understand and engage with issues important to our community.