Trump’s Higher-Ed Compact Is Fine
If contrariness were an academic discipline, American colleges would lead the world in its study. Such is the lesson of the Trump administration’s higher-ed “compact,” a 10-point bargain offered to…
Posts tagged with
“institutional neutrality”
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…
Life at Chesterton House
Across the country, elite universities are locked in a power struggle with the federal government. Up here at Chesterton House, an independent, Christian, residential study center at Cornell University, the…
Students Don’t Want Political Statements From Administrators
Over the last several years, we have seen many colleges and universities make aggrieved statements in response to current events, from the election of President Trump to the death of…
A Memo to College Presidents
The higher-education landscape has been radically transformed in recent months. Yet, for all the excited headlines and frenetic chatter, I’m not sure that college presidents, trustees, and alumni groups fully…
Georgia Unplugs the Bias Machine
People often ask me how, as an outspoken conservative professor at a large state university, I can get away with some of the things I say on social media and…
Academic Freedom Doesn’t Mean Grandstanding
Earlier this summer, Harvard dean Lawrence Bobo wrote an essay for the Harvard Crimson that provoked a chorus of criticism, much of it justified. Reflecting on the post-October 7 turmoil…
In Praise of Institutional Neutrality in Academia
If you are up on the latest trends in academia, you’ll know that “institutional neutrality” is in the news as more universities consider or adopt it. In my view, this…
Divestment Isn’t Neutral
The UNC chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) doesn’t have a great track record on free speech and civil discourse. Its members have occupied university administrative buildings, attempted…
Viewpoint-Neutral Teaching Isn’t Enough
California’s higher-education system, beset by alarming acts of hate, intimidation, and bigotry on its campuses (e.g., anti-Israel and anti-Jewish protests), has launched a series of initiatives. Among them is an…