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.
Leading Legislators Astray
A policy report about higher education by a leading think tank gives state legislators misleading information.
Standing Up to My Alma Mater
One graduate finds out that she can support her school without giving administrators free rein to use the money as they wish.
Grifter U.
Higher education’s increasing reliance on government money is attracting innovation and creativity–of the worst type.
Reforming the Academic Core
The Board of Governors should select a president who will revitalize student learning at the University of North Carolina.
Don’t Go to College to Learn Economics
People with a high school education have as much economic sophistication as college graduates do.
The Three-Day Wonder
The North Carolina Senate rams through a $19 billion budget that shores up UNC finances with taxpayer funds.
Fertile Ground for Budget Cuts
The North Carolina Cooperative Extension has strayed from its original agricultural mission.
Exploring the Enduring Questions
Thinking about an intellectually stimulating sabbatical? Consider the James Madison Program at Princeton.