By Ava Schwab | Reporter
“Why are we here?”
With that question, Dr. Jennifer Frey, professor of philosophy at the University of Tulsa, opened Drumwright Family Lecture, “Why Are We Here? And the Pursuit of Wisdom,” at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Honors Residential College’s Willett Family Reading Room. Students and faculty filled the room, notebooks open and conversations already stirring before the talk began with a reception after.
The lecture series invites scholars and thinkers to explore faith, ethics and learning. According to the Honors College’s website, it was established by Minette Drumwright Pratt and her family of five generations of Baylor Bears. This year’s lecture turned the focus inward — toward the purpose of higher education and what it means to seek wisdom in everyday life.
Frey, pioneer of the honors program at the University of Tulsa, challenged the idea that college should be measured only by its career outcomes.
“Many people think we’re here to deliver credentials for a culturally decorative career,” Frey said. “I want to insist that this is not the essential reason why we are here. We are here, first and foremost, to pursue wisdom.”
Frey emphasized that liberal education must remain at the heart of a university. This, she said, begins by a disciplined and deep reflection of life’s “highest questions.”
“If you never let yourself wonder in a disciplined and serious way about who and what we are and why we are here, then you are not as free as you might be,” Frey said.
Frey illustrated her point through the contrasting words of Max Weber and Cardinal John Henry Newman, connecting the pursuit of wisdom to moments of reflection and the idea of glory. By using this, she encouraged students to view college not as a checklist of achievements, but as a training ground for discernment and meaning.
The words drew nods from students around the room, many of whom later said the talk reminded them that learning extends far beyond the classroom.
Houston senior Peyton Louise Robuck said the lecture resonated with ideas she’s been exploring in her own studies.
“You can interact with authors in a way that shapes how you see the world, and their words can go with you as a constant companion,” Robuck said.
As the hour closed, Frey left students with a challenge to embrace the task rather than mocking it.
Events like the Drumwright Family Lecture remind students that wisdom isn’t limited to textbooks or exams, but it’s instead a practice of curiosity, humility and connection. Frey ultimately answered her own question with a simple claim.
“We are here to seek wisdom,” Frey said. “To become the kind of people who can see the world clearly and live well within it.”
For many who attended, Monday’s talk offered not just answers but a reason to keep asking the question that started it all: why are we here?
