Early in the introductory college economics course, instructors talk about the Law of Diminishing Returns. An illustration: A farmer has a 100-acre field on which he wants to harvest wheat. … Continue reading “Higher Education and the Law of Diminishing Returns”
The evidence is everywhere: American colleges and universities are dying. Not all will die very soon—indeed, probably only a modest portion will. But the trend is unmistakably downward. Why? Is … Continue reading “American Colleges Are Committing Suicide”
As a college professor from the Midwest, I usually shy away from commenting on higher-education policy issues in other parts of the country. But North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s November … Continue reading “Who Should Own the University of North Carolina?”
Economists call someone who gets paid more than necessary to produce a good or service a “rent-seeker.” Arguably the preeminent rent-seeker in higher education, Terry Hartle, announced his retirement recently … Continue reading “Wanted: A Successful Collegiate Rent-Seeker”
Jumping to conclusions is sometimes a big mistake. I recently became puzzled and mildly infuriated when I read that Stanford University was going to have a conference on freedom of … Continue reading “Yes, an Academic Free-Speech Conference Needed Protection from the Mob”
Colleges perform two vital functions: They disseminate to the people (especially their own students) the knowledge and wisdom acquired through time in ways that enhance the common good, and they also … Continue reading “Colleges: Go Back to Basics”
It is interesting but depressing to me that the more eminent a college or university is perceived to be, the more outrageous are efforts by administrators to stifle individual expression … Continue reading “Higher Education Used to Love Controversy”
It is indisputable that the U.S. faces the worst inflation in 40 years, an outcome that seemingly no one was predicting a few years ago. The impact on Americans of … Continue reading “Inflation Will Hit Universities Hard”
University presidents make a difference. The best of them can steer a university to new heights of greatness, while the worst of them can bring costly mediocrity or even extinction. … Continue reading “One of Our Few Great College Presidents Retires”
Presidents of prestigious universities often make outrageous decisions inconsistent with such bedrock values as freedom of expression and providing the accused with traditional American due process. The shameful manner in … Continue reading “In Princeton’s Contempt for Justice, Shades of Duke Lacrosse”