University Programs Cultivate the Crisis of Relevance in the Arts
I spent the early 1990s in art school. Little did I know that one of most negative experiences I had there was a harbinger for the direction of college art…
Science and Its Discontents: Too Few Jobs—or Too Many Scientists?
“The United States is producing more research scientists than academia can handle,” so begins a July 2016 article by respected New York Times science reporter Gina Kolata. It turns out…
North Carolina Works to Ensure Success of Military Students
Drone pilots have assumed an increasingly valuable role in military operations. Soon they may be able to leverage their unique experience into academic credits through the North Carolina Community College…
Urban Universities: Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem?
Look at any map of our recent presidential elections and a key fault-line in our fractured country becomes clear. Cities and their denser suburbs vote overwhelmingly Democratic and show up as blue islands.…
Intellectual Diversity and Academic Professionalism
Editor’s Note: This is a condensed version of a speech Dr. Otteson gave at a January James G. Martin Center luncheon. Our topic today is the importance of intellectual diversity…
Is Faculty Accountability Lacking at UNC Wilmington?
In my 45 years of teaching I have never filed an academic complaint against another faculty member—nor has one ever been filed against me. I have long believed that this…
Should We Stop Asking College Students to Evaluate Their Instructors?
At the end of every semester, at nearly every college in the country, millions and millions of students fill out student evaluations of teachers. These forms ask very sensible questions.…
Men Wanted: The Feminized Campus versus Decent Masculinity
In the wake of Harvey Weinstein, #MeToo, increased public attention to sexual harassment, and the growing debate about due process rights of the accused, how are young men to navigate…
Great Books Are Key for a Unified Education
The Great Books—the primary texts that include the greatest writings of Western Civilization—once formed the basis of all higher education. The highest levels of society were often closed to those…
The Conservative Case for Community Colleges, Part I: To Parents
For many parents, the prospect of sending their kids off to college can be daunting. If the price tag alone doesn’t scare them silly, there are more than enough stories…