Costs

American colleges and universities spend billions of dollars a year from state, federal, and private sources. The following articles identify ways to cut costs and ensure that public investment in higher education provides value to students, taxpayers, and society.

The Overselling of Higher Education

Nov 16, 2004 · George Leef

This talk has had a long gestation period – 24 years to be precise. In the fall of 1980, I was hired by a small, nonselective college to teach a number of courses – Business Law, Principles of Economics, and an upper-level course in Political Economy. An experience in the latter class one fall day was, as Senator Kerry would say, “seared” into my memory. I had asked the students to read a few pages from Hayek’s The Mirage of Social Justice, expecting that they would do the reading and come to class prepared for some discussion.

Sadly, I found out that the students a) had not bothered to read the assignment, or b) didn’t understand grasp anything from it and c) were not the least bit bothered by their inability to answer any of the questions I posed. After much embarrassing silence, one young fellow put up his hand, and I eagerly called on him. He said, “Couldn’t you, like, just tell us the main point?”

UNC-Chapel Hill leftists gear up to protest Western Civ program

Nov 10, 2004 · Jon Sanders

UNC-Chapel Hill leftists list articles by George Leef and our Course of the Month honorees as proof that UNC-CH should not accept a grant from the Pope Foundation to fund the study of Western Civilization at the flagship institution (which they termed “Accept[ing] $12 Million from Racist, Sexist, Classist, Homophobic Donors”).

We Lost, But You’re Stupid

Nov 8, 2004 · Jon Sanders

RALEIGH — In the famous fable by Aesop, a fox exerts itself in vain attempting to snatch a cluster of grapes. Finally realizing that the grapes were out of his reach, the fox consoled himself by convincing himself they were sour. “Sour grapes” became a way to describe a face-saving attitude for having failed to attain something desperately sought.

Kerry only tells half the story on college costs

Oct 29, 2004 · Jon Sanders

As part of his litany of George Bush woes, John Kerry cites rising college costs. It’s up dramatically since Bush took office, he says, pricing hundreds of thousands of students out. Kerry cites only the “sticker price” of tuition and fees, however. He’s ignoring that the net price ‹ that’s the sticker price discounted by grant aids and tax benefits ‹ is actually lower now than it was ten years ago.

Kerry only tells half the story about college costs

Oct 26, 2004 · Jon Sanders

As part of his litany of George Bush woes, John Kerry cites rising college costs. It’s up dramatically since Bush took office, he says, pricing hundreds of thousands of students out. Kerry cites only the “sticker price” of tuition and fees, however. He’s ignoring that the net price — that’s the sticker price discounted by grant aids and tax benefits — is actually lower now than it was ten years ago.

Alarm bells ring: Horowitz is coming! Horowitz is coming!

Oct 20, 2004 · Jon Sanders

An e-mail sent to faculty at North Carolina State warned against the Pope Center’s upcoming conference on academic freedom, because speaker David Horowitz’s “Academic Bill of Rights” contains “carefully chosen language” that “does not fully expose the agenda behind it.” Fortunately for N.C. State, the professor behind the e-mail did know “the real agenda — imposing political litmus tests on course content.” Ye cats!

Pope Center Conference Saturday at N.C. State

Oct 14, 2004 · Shannon Blosser

RALEIGH – Academic freedom and the rights of students to express their views on different subjects will be among the topics discussed during the annual John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy Conference Saturday at the Jane S. McKimmon Center at N.C. State University.

Where UNC Could Show Some Real Leadership

Oct 7, 2004 · George Leef

On September 29, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser delivered his “State of the University Address.” Throughout his speech, Chancellor Moeser talked repeatedly about the importance of the university showing leadership. Leadership would indeed be a splendid thing if it were in the areas central to the university’s educational mission.

Scandal at School of the Arts

Oct 6, 2004 · Jon Sanders

RALEIGH — High-level administrators at the North Carolina School of the Arts engaged in “willful, deliberate, and intentional” violations of N.C. law in what State Auditor Ralph Campbell described Tuesday as “similar to the debacle at Enron.”

Campbell said the findings at the NCSA were as serious as any his office had uncovered previously.

Carolina Covenant increased

Sep 29, 2004 · Shannon Blosser

CHAPEL HILL – During his annual State of the University Address Wednesday, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser announced plans to increase the number of students covered under the school’s Carolina Covenant.

The Carolina Covenant, first proposed during Moeser’s 2003 State of the University address, is a measure to provide a debt-free college education to low-income students. Moeser said the school intends to increase the scope of the program to include students who are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, up from 150 percent this year.