Faculty Senate Shrugged
Politics is on many people’s minds this year, so this is a good time to write about that topic. But the politics I’m thinking about does not involve the presidency.…
How Would Trump Change Higher Education Policy?
Last month I looked at Hillary Clinton’s higher education proposals in this Clarion Call, and found nothing to praise in them. They merely deepen the already ruinous federal involvement in…
Pokémon Go Is Booming on Campus, and That’s a Good Thing
On the surface, Pokémon Go players appear to be zombified millennials walking aimlessly, eyes fixed on their cellphones. But in reality they are engaging with a new community of young…
A Visiting Professor of Conservative Thought Takes on Boulder, Colorado
Several years ago, the University of Colorado Boulder did something pioneering in American higher education. It committed to bringing onto its faculty, on a rotating basis, a notable academic conservative…
Summer Reading Questions and What They Reveal About Faculty
After three decades in higher education as student and teacher, this year I begin a new role, as parent. My eldest daughter will attend a small liberal arts college in…
NC State to Spend Millions of Tax Dollars Advancing Corporate, Government Interests
In 2014, North Carolina State University became the new home for PowerAmerica, a $140 million dollar project aimed at promoting research in the advanced electronics industry. Just two years later,…
The Ugly Truth Behind a College’s “Diversity” Requirement
Hamilton College has for years had an open curriculum, allowing students the freedom to shape their education as they think best. Whether that’s a good idea is debatable, but the…
Hillary Clinton’s New College “Reforms”
Seemingly, nothing now stands between Hillary Clinton and the Democratic nomination, so it’s worth looking anew at her proposals regarding higher education. Back in May, Professor Gary Wolfram critiqued the…
NC State Continues to Defend Unconstitutional Policy
Imagine a college student who has just formed a student group. In order to generate interest in this group, the student goes to the student union and passes out flyers…
Automatic Pay Raises for Teachers Create Perverse Incentives in Graduate Education
In 2013, North Carolina stopped giving automatic pay raises to public school teachers who earn master’s degrees. In the legislature, the debate focused on teachers and whether graduate degrees make…