Andrew Delbanco, the Mendelson Family Chair of American Studies and Julian Clarence Levi Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, will speak at Washington and Lee University’s Founders’ Day / ODK Convocation. The title of Delbanco’s talk, which is free and open to the public, is “What is College For?” “America’s colleges are indispensable for the education of democratic citizens,” said Delbanco in describing his talk. “In the face of growing public skepticism about the cost and value of higher education, America’s colleges—of which Washington and Lee is a leader with a distinguished history—must move into the future while preserving the best traditions of their past.” Delbanco is the author of many books, including, “College: What it Was, Is and Should Be” (Princeton University Press, 2012). Delbanco was awarded the 2011 National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama “for his writing that spans the literature of Melville and Emerson to contemporary issues in higher education.”