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…
Posts tagged with
“institutional neutrality”
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…
The Real World Confronts the Ivory Tower
For years, there has been an ever-widening gap between the values and behaviors of contemporary America (“the Real World”) and those on college campuses (“the Ivory Tower”). Since, ultimately, the…
No, Vanderbilt Isn’t Governed By “Principled Neutrality”
Anyone concerned about industrial-scale political indoctrination on American college campuses was given reason for hope this past spring when, in the pages of The Chronicle of Higher Education, Vanderbilt University…
Do Law Schools Really Exist?
Law schools began as trade schools, training future lawyers to sell legal services as licensed providers. Modern law schools, however, have increasingly adopted the routines of political institutions. Even at…