The Trouble with Faculty Hiring Booms in a Politicized Time
Most businesses and the general public had a brutal year in 2020—perhaps with the notable exceptions of Zoom and toilet paper manufacturers. Universities suffered as well, with enrollment drops and…
New Study Analyzes the High Cost of College
TANSTAAFL. There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. That’s the pithy way that economists convey the idea that there are always costs associated with the goods and services…
Did You Know? Where UNC System’s $10 Billion in Revenue Comes From
Everything that the UNC system and its constituent institutions do is dependent on a generous inflow of money. In fiscal year 2020, the UNC system received $10.2 billion in revenues,…
The Liberal Arts: What We Don’t Know
What is the value of a liberal arts education? At a time when parents are wary of taking on loads of debt to finance their children’s college degrees, it was…
A Conversation with UNC System President Peter Hans
A new leader took the helm of the University of North Carolina system during a tumultuous time. In the midst of a global pandemic, Peter Hans was elected UNC system…
Did You Know? The Students Hurt Most by School Closings
Over 20 percent of college students come from lower-income families, according to Inside Higher Ed. These students face the worst effects of school closings due to the pandemic—whether they’re in…
What Policies Are Conservatives Actually For in Higher Education?
It’s no secret that higher ed reformers have struggled to offer a compelling alternative to free college and loan forgiveness offered from the left. This failure is partially because conservatives…
Did You Know? How the UNC System Spends $10 Billion
As a public institution, it’s vital that the University of North Carolina system is transparent with how it spends its money. As a form of accountability, the system is required…
Why Liberal Arts Colleges Are Failing and How to Revive Them
The loss of public trust in universities that has risen to front page news did not suddenly emerge in 2020. In 2018 the non-partisan Gallup organization found that, for the…
Reassessing the College Wage Premium Payoff
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts within the higher education policy space were projecting that four-year colleges could face a loss of up to 20 percent in fall…