Governance

University boards have the primary responsibility for ensuring fidelity to the institution’s mission, managing university finances, and setting personnel policies. The following articles expose poor governance practices and identify policies that keep boards accountable to the taxpayers, students, parents, alumni, and donors whom they serve.

Jul 29, 2020 · John Staddon

If All Men are Created Equal, Why Do We Need Grades?

I just finished a fascinating book, The Recovery of the West, by polymath Englishman Michael Roberts. Roberts became famous as a poet, but was trained as a scientist and spent…

Jul 27, 2020 · Megan Zogby

Fall Uncertainty: College Leaders Have Left Students, Professors in the Dark

Colleges across the country are preparing for potential spikes in coronavirus cases in the fall. As some students return to campus, schools are making plans to protect the health of…

Jul 23, 2020 · Kathryn Goodwin

Did You Know? The Fight Over Renaming Buildings at North Carolina Colleges

On June 17, the Board of Trustees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill voted to end the moratorium on renaming campus buildings associated with white supremacy or…

Jul 9, 2020 · Megan Zogby

Did You Know? With Remote Classes, Universities Breach Student Privacy

As schools have moved online due to the coronavirus, they have partnered with proctoring services to monitor online exams and prevent cheating. Those services go by names such as Respondus…

Jul 8, 2020 · Jenna A. Robinson

The Breakdown of American Education and the Hopes for Change

America’s system of education has failed in one of its most important goals: forming future generations of American citizens. This is particularly true in higher education, where students are encouraged…

Jul 6, 2020 · Shannon Watkins

UNC-Chapel Hill Officially Teaches What to Think, Not How to Think

When the University of North Carolina leadership and the state’s legislators capitulated to the frenzied mob that toppled a statue of a Confederate Army soldier at the entrance to the…

Jul 2, 2020 · Nicole Divers

Did You Know? The Decline of Free Speech Zones

The term “free speech zone” can be misleading. While the name implies a policy that promotes free expression, free speech zones do the opposite. They confine political demonstrations to a…

Jun 29, 2020 · Shannon Watkins

Goldstein: Research Universities Have a Duty to Reopen

Although colleges across the country plan to reopen for the fall semester, much is still unknown about how to best proceed. Leaders are grappling with how to best safeguard public…

Jun 25, 2020 · Nicole Divers

Did You Know? What Makes Faculty Happy with Online Classes

The spring semester saw college campuses close and rush to remote instruction. With many schools planning to keep using remote classes in some form for the fall, their benefits need…