R’ Hutner zt”l went to university in Berlin to study philosophy. His daughter, Rebbetzin Dr. David, who runs a large seminary in Israel, got a PhD from Columbia in Philosophy.
R’ Hutner and R’ Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz zt”l originally wanted to set up a joint program with Chaim Berlin and Torah V’Daas to have a college as part of the yeshivos. They only stopped it because R’ Aharon Kotler spoke out very strongly against it, and begged them not to do it.
R’ Hutner zt”l encouraged his students to go to college, first Brooklyn College, and later Touro College.