Jeremy D. Popkin holds the William T. Bryan Chair Professorship in the department of history in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Kentucky. His interests include the history of the French and Haitian revolutions and the topic of autobiographical literature. Popkin’s latest book is A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution (2019, Basic Books).
When they were put up in the 1960s, the Kirwan-Blanding Towers were a confident bet on the future of the University of Kentucky and of the country and the world. Now, as they disappear, no one can be sure of what the future holds for American higher education, for America as a whole, or for the planet.