Let the Buyer Beware!
“Almost all students cite getting a better job as a primary reason for attending college,” writes Preston Cooper in the opening paragraph of his new study, entitled Is College Worth…
Universities Have Forgotten Their Purpose: Pursuing the Contemplative Life
Editor’s note: this essay is adapted from a talk delivered by Jessica Hooten Wilson at Word on Fire’s Good News Conference on November 7, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. Universities are…
Three Ways to Teach Students How—Not What—to Think
How do we teach students how to think rather than what to think? If the latest election cycle showed us anything, it’s that parents care deeply about what their children…
What Should We Teach in Journalism Schools?
There’s something rotten in American journalism schools. From a tendency toward bias to outright activism, journalism in higher education is not what it should be: a place to guide young…
Are Summer Reading Assignments Indoctrinating Freshmen?
Often, incoming freshmen receive their first university assignment before the school year even begins: the summer reading. Many institutions see the summer reading assignment as an opportunity for new students…
Are College Exit Exams a Valid Measure of Learning? It’s Complicated
Given the enormity of the public and private investment in US higher education, of course we should evaluate its effectiveness. But, how? It is claimed that over 200 higher education…
Are Students Learning the Right Skills? Why Academia Needs to Go Back to the “Basics”
Last year, Forbes published a headline, “Americans rank a Google internship over a Harvard degree.” It seems higher education is quickly losing hold of its value proposition as the best…
Did You Know? The Higher Education Profile of North Carolina Business Leaders
Is having a college degree a critical dimension in becoming a business leader for those running North Carolina’s largest corporations? We have analyzed that question as part of a broader…
Don’t Cancel Rigor
The Chronicle of Higher Education has just published the latest assault on academic standards, Jordynn Jack and Viji Sathy’s “It’s Time to Cancel the Word ‘Rigor’.” Jack teaches rhetoric and…
Universities and Meritocracy
We take it for granted that people are free to use their abilities as they choose, and as a result, society as a whole benefits from their work and innovations.…