Requiring students to learn religious values did not promote reverence. The education at a denominational college was too limited and too safe. Humans desire to know practical applications of the professions. Students seek and benefit from communication with teachers, and students benefit from suggestions and remarks from teachers. The freedom of choice is important.
Humans are free to choose their destiny and therefore free to choose a course of study.
White and Cornell thought that human potential was limited by limited opportunities for admission to higher education. The University was open to men and women regardless of financial status or race. Cornell was the first coeducational college in the East. The appreciation of knowledge is not just a linguistic exercise. Learning should satisfy the material and moral aspirations of the middle class.