Lake Forest College’s new president used his inauguration to deliver a clear message: higher education faces mounting challenges — from artificial intelligence to political division — but its core mission remains essential.
Mike Sosulski, named the college’s 15th president last June, was formally inaugurated on April 10 during a campus ceremony.
After thanking family, friends and community stakeholders, Sosulski, who was raised in Chicago’s western suburbs, spoke about his commitment to Lake Forest College, which was founded in 1857 and now enrolls more than 1,800 students.
“I feel a deep sense of calling to serve this special college with its unwavering commitment to student learning and success through the best iteration of the liberal arts on offer anywhere,” he said.
During his approximately 40-minute speech, Sosulski offered a broad outlook on higher education, calling it a “public trust.”
“It is the courage to say that a college like Lake Forest College is not merely a route to a job — although it is that — but a place where people learn how to think, how to listen, how to argue in good faith, how to encounter difference without fear, and how to live examined lives,” he said.
He expressed concern about what he described as “authoritarian tendencies” around the world.
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“We are seeing around us, in many places, an erosion of democratic norms, an impatience with disagreement, a preference for strongmen over strong institutions,” Sosulski said. “We are seeing efforts to delegitimize independent media, to discredit expertise, and to divide communities along lines of race, religion, nationality and ideology.”
“Authoritarianism, in all of its forms, is allergic to the kind of education that we offer here, because it fears people who can think critically, who demand evidence, argue respectfully and imagine alternatives to the status quo,” he added.
Sosulski also highlighted the rise of artificial intelligence, noting both its benefits and potential drawbacks.
“They will create new possibilities and pose new risks. They will, in many cases, make our lives easier,” he said. “But they may also tempt us to outsource tasks that are essential to our own growth and potential as human beings.”
He added that AI is placing growing demands on energy infrastructure, underscoring that technological advances come with costs.
However, Sosulski said the college should not fear AI, noting Lake Forest College has created what he described as the first liberal arts degree program in the field.
“We should study it, shape it and use it in ways that are consistent with our hearts and our mission,” he said. “But we must never relinquish the parts of education that only human beings can provide.”
Sosulski also pointed to what he sees as a growing volume of disinformation and stressed the importance of how truth is pursued.
“That means cultivating the skills of critical thinking: evaluating sources, understanding methods, distinguishing evidence from opinion, and recognizing our own biases,” he said. “It means teaching our students not merely to spot ‘fake news,’ but to understand how knowledge is produced in different fields and why standards of evidence matter.”
He also emphasized the importance of the humanities, expressing concern that some institutions are moving away from those courses. He does not want LFC to take that path.
“If our students are going to live and work in a world shaped by artificial intelligence, then it will be all the more important that they understand and appreciate literature, languages, history, philosophy, religion and the arts,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Sosulski said he believes the college’s future is bright and reaffirmed its mission.
“Those of us who choose to make our careers in higher education know the deeper truth that a great liberal arts education teaches far more than phrases, formulas, theories and facts,” he said. “It teaches us how to think — and how to think from multiple perspectives.”
Before and after the ceremony, Sosulski was lauded by members of the college community.
“The Board of Trustees is confident in your leadership and excited about the direction you will lead Lake Forest College,” said Board of Trustees Chairman William Lowry.
Student Government President Liam Thumser called the moment “exciting.”
“We are welcoming a new president and a future we can build together,” he said. “A future where students are heard, and campus life continues to grow.”
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.