It’s the responsibility of college students to build the future of this country, Marc Morial, CEO of the National Urban League and former New Orleans mayor said Monday night in the Journalism Building. “[Students] stand at a time when we are at a crossroads of American history,” Morial said. Leaders of today must determine how the United States should rebuild the economy, he said.”You can’t accomplish big things in a nation of this size unless everyone is pushing toward the same general goal,” he said. The nation constantly experiences roller coaster highs and lows, plunging downward when faced with challenges, he said. Morial said the population is more diverse than ever before, and the baby boomers who have long worked to sustain this nation’s economy are approaching retirement. Other nations are making significant technological and educational investments.”It’s your generation of leaders that have to navigate,” Morial said. He said the first step the nation must take is to establish objectives. He described key objectives of the Kennedy administration, including the Freedom at Home plan which assisted the civil rights movement and the Freedom Abroad plan which helped win the Cold War.The United States should follow Kennedy’s example in establishing realistic goals that will positively impact this nation, Morial said. “We have work to do to build long term growth,” Morial said. He also discussed the importance of education. “It should be illegal for the government to consider putting a knife to higher education,” Morial said. He said students must ensure the state legislature hears voices that do not support cuts to higher education. His experience with the state political system showed him that telephone calls, e-mails and faxes count.”There’s never enough money to do everything,” Morial said. “Budgeting is about priorities.”   Louisiana’s fortune will change with better educated people, and education ought to be a top priority, Morial said. He described North Carolina education as superior because it has a constitutional provision promising affordable education. Louisiana needs to follow its example, Morial said. “We still have the best educated people in any nation ever devised, constructed or conceived,” he said.This country’s political systems are superior, he said. “We shouldn’t let apathy and cynicism be our enemy,” Morial said.—-Contact Sabrina Trahan at [email protected]