Should Universities Be “Sanctuaries” for Illegal Immigrants?
On November 16, thousands of students at public and private universities across the country walked out of classes to protest the election of Donald Trump to the presidency. One of…
Articles
Articles
Professional Excellence: Can It Be Learned in College?
After spending thirty years in a corporate environment, I embarked on a second career as a member of the faculty and staff of a liberal arts college. Each semester I…
Will We, at Last, Do Something About Accreditation?
Accreditation is supposed to act as a quality guarantee for colleges and universities, but it works very poorly. Students can and regularly do graduate from accredited schools without having learned…
Educating for the Workplace: A Dilemma
Recently I attended a meeting of a committee of the University of North Carolina system’s Board of Governors that has a mission of “setting goals for economic impact.” Higher education’s…
Poll: What Should Trump’s Education Department Do to Reform Higher Ed?
Now that the election has ended, Donald Trump faces new challenges. He must assemble a team, choose a direction, and begin to govern. During his long campaign, he gave a…
Students Need Much Better Counseling Before Going Into Debt for College
American college students have taken to saying that they need “safe spaces” on campus. They really don’t, since all they’re after is “safety” from ideas they dislike. But if they…
Hot Tubs and Luxury Dorms and Climbing Walls, Oh, My!
All is not well on higher education’s financial front. At many colleges, tuition prices have reached record highs, enrollment is stagnant, revenues have flattened or declined, budgets are constricted, and…
How Affirmative Action Really Works
Even if you can’t remember his name (and who but an Indian could?), you may be familiar with Vijay JoJo Chokal-Ingam’s story as told in his recently self-published Almost Black:…
Will the Surge of Support for Free Speech on Campus Do Any Good?
Last month, PEN America, the U.S. branch of an international organization, published a strong defense of free speech on college campuses. The nearly century-old group stands for the idea that…
UNC Leaders Should Keep a Closer Eye on Underperforming Degree Programs
An unlikely champion of more university oversight emerged at a recent University of North Carolina system Board of Governors (BOG) meeting. During a discussion about the board’s long-term strategic goals…