To a professor for one half-century and historian of literacy, today’s incessant cavils that college students either “aren’t reading” or “can’t read” are reminiscent of the early 1960s’ repeated rediscoveries that “Johnny can’t read” and about children’s “death at an early age.” The New York Times publicizes a fallacious “There’s a Very Good Reason College Students Don’t Read Anymore” (Malesic 2024), while The Atlantic leads with “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books” (Horowitch 2024). Assistant editor Rose Horowitch contradicts herself in declaring, “To read a book in college, it helps to have read a book in high school.” As if to prove the point, the higher education daily media ask, “How Much Do Students Really Read?” (Alonso 2024) and “Is Reading Over for Gen Z Students?” (Stripling 2024) (emphases mine).
Reciprocity over Hierarchy: Designing and Implementing a Student-Led Reverse Mentoring Program
Many academic leaders, including administrators and faculty members, participate in traditional mentoring programs that prioritize hierarchy. But these programs typically don’t foster engagement and connection between students and faculty or
Marquita Lyons-Smith and Keva Suitte
October 19, 2026
