Governor Martin on Davidson College Report
As an alumnus of Davidson College and a former associate professor of chemistry there, and as a member of the board of directors of the Martin Center, I am fascinated…
The AI Race at North Carolina Universities
Earlier this year, UNC Charlotte announced plans to launch a new major in artificial intelligence beginning next academic year. In its proposal to the UNC System, university leaders emphasized the…
Limit Student Visas
Recent events—including, among other things, President Trump’s attempt to ban Harvard University from enrolling international students and the online backlash against Elon Musk for defending visa policies that allow college-educated…
RE: “‘Let Them Be Born in Wonder’”
Josh Herring’s article “‘Let Them Be Born in Wonder’” (8 September 2025) brought to my mind my own path to a liberal-arts education. Perhaps my experience can encourage today’s high-school…
Another Return-On-Investment Boost
If one thing has become clear in the last decade, it is that not all college degrees are created equal. Rather than simply attending any college and getting any degree,…
How to Reform Schools of Education
To argue that schools of education have gone bonkers is akin to penning an op-ed that the Titanic sank. The fact is given. Does anyone dispute it? The most-assigned books…
What Mission Statements Reveal
Most people have an intuitive sense that political polarization is about a lot more than positions on political issues. How you feel about immigration, abortion, or gun control—not to mention…
Selling Dreams, Not Reality
Choosing a college major is a life-altering decision, made millions of times a year by 18-year-olds with little exposure to higher education or labor markets. Colleges frame programs in terms…
Tuition Transparency Is Still a Problem
When deciding whether to attend college, most people’s biggest concern is how to afford it. Indeed, the cost of attending a particular college is a key factor guiding students’ choices…
Replacing Standards with Sympathy
Higher education once stood for rigor, accountability, and personal responsibility. But grade inflation and diluted curricula have already eroded the pretense of academic excellence. Now, a new initiative at the…