No Diploma, No Problem
The experiences of entrepreneurs and writers call into question the goal of a college degree for everyone.
Life Management 101
It takes awhile to learn to manage money, things…and even one’s time. But there are surprising rewards, such as good grades.
Open Checkbook for Unchecked Growth
An attempt to limit enrollment growth in North Carolina state universities was shot down by legislators at the last minute–unfortunately.
Magic Elixir for Growth or Economic Snake Oil?
Higher education might not be the cure-all for economic growth that the political and academic establishment proclaims it to be.
The Gift of Academic Maturity
A business professor argues that students should take a “gap year.”
The Vision Thing
The 2008 financial crisis, which still lingers in the higher education community, should not have been a surprise. Higher education has a financial cycle—trough, recovery, peak and decline—that mirrors the business cycle. Neither corporate nor university executives can predict with any certainty when the next downturn will occur, but institutional leaders could have prepared their institutions by containing their ambitions, creating safeguards, and developing contingency plans.
My heretical view is that mainstream public and private not-for-profit higher education boards of trustees have neither the will nor the incentive to control their institutions’ costs. The pursuit and maintenance of prestige are more valued than fiscal responsibility.
Thinking Like an Economist
A new book subjects college education to Bastiat’s famous “seen versus unseen” analysis.
Staying Civilized Amidst Campus Barbarians
A college student offers some advice on keeping to the high road when others partake of the low life.
The Sad History of Freshman Reading
Freshman readings range from political propaganda to feel-good fluff.
The Handwriting on the Web
Those who decry the lack of innovation in higher education may be looking in the wrong places.