The Furor Over Student Loan Forgiveness
Once again, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has kicked the hornet’s nest, this time by changing the rules for deciding if a student will be relieved of his or her obligation…
Articles by George Leef
The ‘Right’ to Disrupt Free Speech on Campus Doesn’t Exist
When students (and others) disrupt events where speakers are trying to make arguments they dislike, they say that their conduct is justified. Most commonly, the disrupters maintain that they are…
When a Black Student Dares to Speak Up for Free Speech
Zachary Wood is a remarkable young man. He’s black, attends a predominantly liberal elite college (Williams) and believes that robust and civil arguments are vital to America’s continuing success. He…
The One Instance Where the Feds Should Spend More on Higher Education
The federal government has no constitutional authority to spend money on higher education, to give or lend students money for it, to direct how colleges will function, or anything else.…
If There’s a College Affordability Crisis, What Should We Do About It?
In last year’s campaign for the presidency, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders tried to attract votes with promises of free college. In the British elections earlier this year, one reason…
The Good and the Bad for Higher Ed in the Republican Tax Proposal
On November 2, House Republican leaders unveiled their tax reform plan. A number of its provisions affect higher education. While this is only a proposal, it’s worth looking into those…
Liberal Arts Education Is Not (Necessarily) a Waste of Time
Harvard history professor Jill LePore tells this story. She was hosting an event in her home for new students, promoting the university’s history and literature program. One of the students…
Why Is It Such a Struggle to Reform Our Colleges?
Former Harvard University president Derek Bok can’t stop thinking and writing about higher education. Ten years ago, he wrote Our Underachieving Colleges, in which he lamented that on the whole,…
The Campus Free Speech Problem Worsens and Washington Finally Acts
The turnabout in federal policy towards higher education has been dramatic. Back on September 7, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced that her department was rescinding the 2011 “Dear Colleague”…
The Chinese Don’t Like Academic Freedom, So American Schools Should Avoid Their Confucius Institutes
Academic freedom has long been a guiding principle for American colleges and universities: Neither faculty nor students should be told what to say or punished for saying whatever they think.…