The Collegiate War Against Merit
A story in Inside Higher Ed last week revealed that two more Ivy League schools, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania, have stopped publishing “dean’s lists” that recognize high levels…
Posts tagged with
“academic merit”
Only Candidates of Color Need Apply?
Five finalists are selected by a hiring committee for a tenure-track faculty position at a reputable regional university. The candidates are ranked based on skills and competencies. The top applicant…
What Happens When Schools Abandon Merit?
America’s educational institutions used to adhere to objective standards of excellence. Students and faculty members had to strive and were rewarded (or not) according to their performance. What their background…
How Short-term Thinking on Race Has Caused Long-term Problems in Higher Education
Editor’s note: This essay is based on a talk given by Gail Heriot on October 29, 2021, for the Martin Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ladies and gentlemen, if you’re…
“We Cannot Fight Fire with Fire”: Efforts to Ban Race-Based College Admissions
Currently, nine states prohibit colleges and universities from practicing race-conscious admissions. That number may soon become ten if a new bill in the North Carolina legislature is successfully adopted. Public…
The Limits of Free-Speech Dogma: Questioning Decades-Old Conservative Wisdom
“My most ‘illiberal’ claim is that all societies necessarily have standards. Even the freest of speech regimes has limits.” This is the claim of Michael Knowles in Speechless: Controlling Words,…
Did You Know? The Negative Effects of Racial Preferences on Minority Students
Racial preferences in university admissions aim to increase the representation of minorities in higher education. Some, however, have objected to these policies and argue students should be admitted based on…
A Broad and Devastating Offensive Against Racial Preferences
Last year, advocates of racial preferences in California, where they’d been banned since 1996, attempted to change the law so that state colleges and universities could again give admission advantages…
Why Universities Should Not Be Anti-Racist
During the last year, many universities throughout North America have declared “anti-racism” to be their official policy. Consider this sample of quotations. “We must ask how Princeton can address systemic…
UNC-Chapel Hill’s Embarrassing Problem
Admitting athletes who aren’t prepared for college work is a recipe for cheating.