A Tweet Too Far
When Drexel University political science professor George Ciccariello-Maher tweeted “All I want for Christmas is white genocide” on Christmas Eve, he handed the Philadelphia school an opportunity to play an…
For University Endowments, There’s No Time like the Present
During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump argued that requiring wealthy universities to spend more of their endowment funds on tuition aid would reduce students’ financial burdens. Whether implementing that idea—which…
A New Era: The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal
Last year, the Pope Center’s Board of Directors decided that there was too much confusion between the Center and the John W. Pope Foundation, a private grant-making foundation in Raleigh, North…
Poll: How Should the NCAA Punish Academic Violations?
It’s been more than five years since whistleblowers uncovered extensive academic fraud at UNC-Chapel Hill. Now, the NCAA has released its third notice of allegations against the school. But, so far,…
American Studies: A Sad Tale of Academic Decline
My academic field, American Studies, is the interdisciplinary study of American cultures, past and present. Once it was a vibrant and useful discipline. Today, I’m sad to report, it is…
Your Generosity Is Helping to Improve Higher Education
As each year comes to a close, I take some time to review what the Pope Center accomplished during the previous 52 weeks, to analyze what challenges we still face,…
Merry Christmas!
In his new video “Just Say ‘Merry Christmas,’” Dennis Prager argues that efforts to replace “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays” are misguided. In the name of “inclusivity,” he says, we…
The Department of Education De-Accredits an Accreditor
The final year of the U.S. Department of Education in the Obama administration is noteworthy for all its carnage. In September, the large ITT Tech chain of schools, which had…
The “Snowflake” Generation: Real or Imagined?
When universities institute things such as “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings,” they often justify doing so in the name of protecting students’ mental health. Critics, on the other hand, argue…
Student Loan Forgiveness: Uncle Sam’s Generosity Will Cost Much More than Previously Estimated
When politicians and Education Department bureaucrats began designing policies to lessen college students’ federal loan burdens, they weren’t concerned much with the cost to the taxpayers. Their imperative was coming…