The Goodyear Polymer Center on the University of Akron campus. Photo by Flickr user Torrie Fischer. Scott L. Scarborough, Ph.D., is president of The University of Akron. I believe the role of public higher education in ensuring the American dream is more crucial today than perhaps at any other time in our nation’s history. Study after study confirms that a college degree is vital for social mobility in the 21st century. This is particularly true among those seeking to rise from the lowest socioeconomic levels into the American middle class and beyond. Public universities also exert an economic multiplier effect upon their regional economies. They help attract, develop and retain an educated and talented population that forms the regional workforce and citizenry. They conduct applied research that directly benefits regional business and industry. As major employers, they generate substantial tax revenue for municipalities. And they stimulate business growth among those providing goods and services to the institutions, their students and guests.