Education as an Afterthought
One of my most memorable experiences as a college student was an insult I received from my professor. I had missed an exam due to work, and I asked him…
Articles
Articles
Bachelor’s Degrees Aren’t Cool Anymore
In a new research brief, The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Education found that only 44 percent of American high school students expected to earn a bachelor’s…
Academic Armageddon Advances
Robert Kelchen of the University of Tennessee, writing in the Chronicle of Higher Education recently, described the most dire problem facing higher education today: “The list of institutions trimming academic…
50-State Comparison: Standardized Testing Requirements at Public Flagship Universities
Standardized tests are a vital tool for policymakers working to ensure fairness in college admissions and drive student success. In practice, these assessments serve two critical purposes: they allow universities…
The Three-Year Degree Makes Sense
On 27 April, the University of North Carolina (UNC) System’s Board of Governors approved a pilot program to begin offering three-year, 90-credit degrees as early as fall 2027. The decision…
Learning to “Code”
It was once common to suggest people who lose their blue-collar jobs should “learn to code.” This is no longer very good advice, if it ever was, since coding is…
Lonely on Campus: Are Universities Failing Their Students?
A college campus should be one of the least lonely places in America. Students pack lecture halls, dormitories, dining halls, football games, and coffee shops every day. There are clubs,…
When Truth is No Longer Paramount
It is a running joke with my repeat students that “it depends” is the phrase most likely to set me off during a classroom discussion. Don’t get me wrong, I…
Archivists and Justice: A Call to Reform
Fans of the classic, North Carolina-set sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show, immediately recognize the exclamation “Surprise, surprise, surprise!” The character Gomer Pyle frequently and humorously utters this expression. Many may…
“Let People Be Free to Come Up with Ideas”
Diversity, equity, and inclusion have gotten a lot of attention over the past decade. In these pages, we’ve often lamented that universities’ focus on superficial measures of diversity undermines merit…