Can Oliver North Fix Higher Ed?
I suppose there are some people eager to read what Oliver North and his co-authors have to say about the current state of American higher education. After all, we’re told…
Chapel Hill’s Latest DEI Push
In January 2023, UNC-Chapel Hill launched its “DEI Strategic Plan” for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). The DEI Strategic Plan is an offshoot of Chief Diversity Officer Leah…
Why We Need the Liberal Arts
John Agresto’s splendid new book, The Death of Learning, is not nearly as depressing as its title might lead one to expect. On the contrary, it is an exhilarating read and,…
What Online Learners Want
Earlier this year, the marketing firm Education Dynamics released its 12th annual Online College Students Report, which professes to identify “the demands and preferences of online college students today.” As…
Divide and Conquer: Radicalizing Military Education
From late 2017 to 2018, three scholars wrote and submitted to academic journals 20 fake papers focused on gender and sexual identity—what the authors call “grievance studies.” Seven journals published…
The State of AI-Chatbot Detection
On April 4 of this year, the academic-services firm Turnitin activated a software designed to catch a certain kind of student plagiarist. As has been widely discussed on the Martin…
The Strange World of “Citational Justice”
The latest fresh hell is citational justice. Which is quotas for footnotes. Now we’re supposed to track the group identity of the authors we cite and make sure there are…
How Our College Leaders “Cull the Herd”
Every so often, one of our college leaders blurts out the truth about their feelings and beliefs. In their public pronouncements, they always try to appear reasonable, when they’re actually…
The True Story of UNC-Chapel Hill’s New School
Last month, UNC-Chapel Hill faculty penned an open letter airing criticism of both the North Carolina General Assembly and the UNC Board of Trustees. Among their complaints was the allegation…
A Collegiate Renaissance?
Intelligent observers of American higher education know that colleges generally are in great trouble: falling enrollments, declining public and political support, often dubious outcomes, and excessive tuition and other costs.…