Freeman A. Hrabowski, III is President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is the author most recently of "Holding Fast to Dreams: Empowering Youth from the Civil Rights Crusade to STEM Achievement" (2015). He chaired the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans and is an advisor on STEM education to national agencies, universities, and school systems. His story began with the Children's March, then in the Civil Rights Movement marching for greater access, and then at Hampton University in 1966 as an excited, but frightened freshman. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Higher Education Act of 1965 had just passed, and together they increased participation in this country's democracy and gave many more people access to higher education. In this article, Hrabowski reflects on the dramatic changes of the past five decades, and then looks foreword to recognize how far higher education still has to go in a climate where two-thirds of Americans over age 25 do not have bachelor's degrees, and the majority have neither a two-year or four-year degree. Hrabowski makes a strong case for the value of a broad liberal arts education, and redoubling the efforts of educators in a fractured society to not only produce highly-trained professionals but also competent and engaged citizens.