Two Cheers for the Great Books
Recently, Luke Burgis, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Catholic University of America, posed a provocative question: “What is the strongest argument from the political Right AGAINST Great Books programs?” In my view,…
Michigan Reconnect Is Pulling Community Colleges Off Mission
Community colleges play a specific role not only within our educational ecosystem, but also that of the communities that they serve. They are community colleges, after all. Before the community…
Universities Must Police Foreign Influence
On June 5, the Qatar Foundation International (QFI) announced that, after almost two decades of pursuing its stated mission of advancing Arabic language and cultural education, it would begin winding…
Lost in the Bureaucracy
There is a particular kind of confusion almost every student has experienced on a college campus. You need help with something: financial aid, advising, housing, a form, or a deadline.…
Bans on “Divisive Concepts” Risk Stifling Speech
The growing (though not unanimous) acknowledgement that academia has lost public trust may be increasingly uncontroversial. But identifying remedies to repair that broken trust is proving to be much more…
Suicide on Sociology Row
No state matches Florida in higher education reform. Its landmark Senate Bill 266, passed during the 2023 legislative session, abolished DEI offices. It also requires general education reform in state…
Restoring a Right at Risk
Universities play—or should play—a critical role helping the next generation of teachers, legislators, judges, and voters understand how to live together in our constitutional republic. For many students, they represent…
Rewriting the Rules of Accreditation
Shortly before Donald Trump’s second inauguration, I summarized for the Martin Center the possible reforms to collegiate accreditation his administration might adopt. I divided these conservative reforms into three broad…
Harvard Medical School Tries Healing Itself
Harvard Medical School (HMS) has just released the Report of the HMS Open Inquiry Working Group, which contains detailed recommendations for restoring liberty to the school. These recommendations, if put into…
The Intifada Targets Campus Leadership
The leadership of the “Student Intifada,” the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), has escalated its war against normalcy and decency in academia. Its incrementalist approach to taking over…