Free Speech, Tar Heel Style
In an era where intellectual discourse faces unprecedented challenges, 23 states have taken decisive action to protect free speech on college campuses. Yet their efforts raise an important question: Why…
Articles by Chris West
Not All Degrees Are Meant to Be Online
Last year, I wrote an article for the Martin Center about a new university in North Carolina. This institution, Queens College of Theology, was operating under a religious exemption that…
Complete an Online Ph.D. in Under a Year—Too Good to be True?
In the last few years, the higher ed landscape is seeing a steady rise in the number of institutions offering online degrees. Schools like Western Governors University and Grand Canyon…
Are North Carolina Colleges and Universities Worth the Price Tag?
Shelling out the time and cash necessary to earn a degree is a sacrifice. For many, the question of “is college worth it?” has a simple answer: “yes.” But for…
Duke Divinity: Wokeness Gone Wild or a Model Education?
My first year at Duke Divinity is, well, not quite what I expected. For one, I was hoping to take classes in Gothic buildings and worship in the beautiful wood-laden…
How Colleges Get Rid of Conservative Admins: An Example from UNC
When I accepted an administrative position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, friends warned me that I would not fit in as a conservative. I dismissed their…
For Liberal Baptist Seminaries, an Uncertain Future
Between recent seminary closings and a general decline in admissions, the future may not bode well for some Baptists schools in higher education. The difficulty moderate and liberal schools face,…
Common Reading Programs: Political Fluff for Freshmen
Many colleges assign “common readings” to incoming students as an intellectual experience outside the classroom to set the bar for the academic rigor that professors expect of students. This tradition…
Public Universities Exploit Eminent Domain Powers with Little Oversight
Colleges tend to expand beyond their original missions by hiring more administrators and creating new programs. But they can also expand physically by exercising power usually reserved for state and…
Have North Carolina Colleges Improved Their Free Speech Protections?
Free speech on campus has become a point of concern for many. News reports describe speakers being disinvited from campus or shouted down. Events such as students being arrested for giving…