Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño

America’s Overlooked Higher Education Crisis

While headlines focus on culture wars in higher education, the real crisis is far more urgent: nearly 120 million American adults lack a bachelor’s degree, and 41 million more started but never completed college. This reality threatens economic growth, workforce readiness, and democratic stability. With states like Michigan facing millions of under‑credentialed adults and a projected national shortfall of 5.3 million college‑educated workers by 2032, the stakes are high.

Join higher‑education innovator President Gerson Moreno‑Riaño for a focused conversation on the real higher‑education crisis and what leaders can do now to strengthen the workforce and the future of American civic life.

Bio for Dr. Moreno-Riaño:

Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño serves as Cornerstone University’s 12th president and has served in higher education for over 25 years. He emigrated from Colombia to the United States at the age of 9 with his parents and brother without knowing the language or the culture and with just $300, two suit cases, and a duffel bag. He is a first-generation student who has witnessed the transformative power of a Christian education that is focused on the most enduring answers to the questions of human existence.

Dr. Moreno-Riaño has authored six books, published in respected journals like History of Political Thought and the American Review of Public Administration, and is a member of the prestigious Société Internationale pour l’Étude de la Philosophie Médiévale. He has also appeared in numerous national media outlets, including The Washington Post, The Washington Examiner, FOX News, The Hill, Inside Higher Education and others.