Raleigh, NC — The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal is proud to announce the release of its latest publication, Blueprint for Reform: General Education. This comprehensive guide provides … Continue reading “The Martin Center Releases New Publication: “Blueprint for Reform: General Education””
Anthropology’s main purpose is to teach us about others—other cultures and people from other times. The study of the other was meant to show us human diversity and similarities. This … Continue reading “The Neo-Tribes of Anthropology”
Each year, the staff of the Martin Center share our higher-ed-reform dreams for the coming year. Will all of our wishes come true? Probably not. Nevertheless, we offer them here … Continue reading “Reforms We Want in 2024”
American universities always have recognized citizens’ authority to shape the educational mission of public universities, particularly with respect to “general education”—courses prerequisite to graduation. Appointed or elected university trustees usually … Continue reading “Model Legislation: General Education Act”
The university system in the United States has accomplished a great deal of good, but it has strayed from its chief goals of scholarly inquiry and responsible teaching, especially in … Continue reading “Blueprints for Reform”
TRY WORKING HARDER The college-costs question invites a raft of sensible responses. But I’m a simple guy, and I’ll offer a simple place to start: Students, teachers, and staff should … Continue reading “How to Control College Costs in 2023 and Beyond”
Higher education serves many purposes. One purpose dominates, however: to students, their parents, future employers, government officials, and many academic administrators, higher education is all about preparing students for the … Continue reading “Making General Education Meaningful”
As a professor devoted to his college’s “pre-disciplinary” core curriculum, I was hooked by David Epstein’s title, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. The book is chock-full of … Continue reading “The Limits of Expertise”
What will they learn? That is the question that the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has been asking America’s colleges for thirteen years in a report by the … Continue reading “Many NC Students Are Missing out on Core Knowledge”
On December 13th, 2019, Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz became the 12th chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to his appointment, he had been serving as interim … Continue reading “A Conversation with the Chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill”