Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist and professor at Columbia University, spoke about education at the 13th annual Columbia China Business Conference on April 6, according to a Yahoo Finance article.
Stiglitz emphasized the need for schools—in the United States, in China and around the world— to foster creativity, individuality and critical thinking. He touted liberal arts colleges such as Amherst: “These schools have a disproportionate role in creating original, creative people.”
The economist also criticized U.S. elementary and secondary schools for failing to bring “the vast part of the country” to a desired level of education. But he also praised the country’s state universities, saying he hoped “we can get continued support and maintain access to [higher education] by lowering the tuition and providing funds for people of ordinary means to go to school.”