Higher Education and the Law of Diminishing Returns
Early in the introductory college economics course, instructors talk about the Law of Diminishing Returns. An illustration: A farmer has a 100-acre field on which he wants to harvest wheat.…
Checking In on Project Kitty Hawk
In 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated $97 million for the launching of an ed-tech startup known as Project Kitty Hawk (PKH). This non-profit is designed to partner with…
How a Private College Mandated Civics Instruction
In the fall of 2020, Cairn University in southeastern Pennsylvania implemented a revised core curriculum that introduced, among other things, a new required course in civics and government. Reactions to…
The Media Take On the UNC Board
When news broke that UNC-Chapel Hill had plans to create a new School of Civic Life and Leadership, it was inevitable that there would be some confusion. But nearly two…
ROTC and the Ivies
Ivy League universities have a distinguished history of their students serving the country in the armed forces. Yale can claim Captain Nathan Hale, class of 1773, executed by the British…
Law-School “Mismatch” Is Worse Than We Thought
Eighteen years ago, I published an article in the Stanford Law Review which documented for the first time the enormous breadth and scale of race-based admissions preferences in law schools.…
How to Make Study-Abroad Programs Better
Studying abroad presents students with opportunities to earn course credit, gain exposure to different languages and cultures, and engage with students and faculty of different backgrounds. Improving the University of…
A Response to the Cynical Student
You’ve heard the complaints: When am I ever gonna use this? How is this relevant to the real world? How is reading Shakespeare going to make me a better banker?…
An Ivy League Degree for Nontraditional Students
When an Ivy League school breaks with its storied past by introducing a degree for nontraditional students, the relevance for other institutions of higher learning can’t be overlooked. In 2016,…
“Forbidden-Word” Lists Are a Symptom of Administrative Bloat
On its “Inclusive Language” website, UNC-Chapel Hill reminds readers that words have consequences: “To fully represent the diversity of our students, faculty, staff and everyone in our community,” UNC states,…