Americans’ trust in higher education is wavering. Back in 2018, a Pew Research Center survey found that about 61 percent of Americans think that the higher education system is going … Continue reading “Did You Know? Americans’ Views of College Professors”
We have reached a critical juncture in our nation’s history. As once hallowed institutions decay before our eyes, parallel structures struggle to arise. Cryptocurrencies, Fintechs, and private equity funds hedge … Continue reading “Getting Serious About a Parallel University System”
With “cancel culture” running rampant on social media, in politics, and in the classroom, professors who put forth the effort to help students think critically and challenge their beliefs are … Continue reading “When Universities Don’t Step Up, Good Professors Are Forced to Step Down”
It only took a global pandemic to force public and private universities to cut their spending. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that about 650,000 jobs were cut in the … Continue reading “Did You Know? COVID-19 Budget Cuts Hit Students and Profs, Not Admins”
The syllabus is such a basic document that most of us tend not to think much about what goes into making one. What are its necessary ingredients? A listing of … Continue reading “What’s in a Syllabus? The Keys to Undoing Academic Freedom, If We’re Not Careful “
Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series. In May of 2020, my wife and I took our retirement after more than 30 years of teaching college, the … Continue reading “Leaving the Blight of Higher Education: Part I–Farewell, Students”
On the whole, U.S. colleges and universities don’t get everything right. They’re overpriced, operationally hidebound, and ideologically stagnant. But American higher education does some things very well—well enough that students from around the world still choose to come to the United States to get advanced degrees.