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.

May 31, 2019 · Martin Center Staff

What We’re Reading: A Defense of the University, Governance Guidebooks, and a Higher Ed Satire

Jenna A. Robinson, President In March, Helen Pluckrose and James A. Lindsay penned “A Principled Defense of the University” for Areo. Coming from two of the authors of the “Sokal…

May 29, 2019 · George Leef

Can Americans ‘Handle the Truth’ About Individual Achievement Differences?

In the 1992 movie A Few Good Men, there is a courtroom scene where the prosecuting attorney (played by Tom Cruise) tells the defendant Marine officer Nathan Jessup (played by…

May 24, 2019 · Kursat Pekgoz

Identity Politics Versus Basic Logic: Should Colleges Offer Affirmative Action for the Female Majority?

Academic postmodernism is no stranger to the idea that classical Enlightenment values such as reason, equal treatment, and individual agency should be cast aside for the sake of racial and…

May 20, 2019 · Jenna A. Robinson and Anthony Hennen

Bill Roundup: The Higher Ed Topics Prioritized by the North Carolina General Assembly

May 9 was the “crossover” deadline for bills in the North Carolina General Assembly. For a bill to have survived past that date, it must have either passed at least…

May 15, 2019 · Preston Cooper

Forgiving Student Debt Isn’t the Solution to Anything

The time-honored American tradition of outlandish political promises continues apace. Now, the spotlight is on student debt. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren added to the debate recently when she put…

May 13, 2019 · Anthony Hennen

The High Price of Faculty and Administrative Salaries in the UNC System

Faculty pay can vary greatly across universities and even within the same university system. Among University of North Carolina schools, the type of institution can matter as much as a…

May 8, 2019 · Jacob Howland

Administrative Hardball at the University of Tulsa

On April 11, the administration of the University of Tulsa shocked faculty, students, and alumni by announcing the elimination of 40 percent of the school’s academic programs. Undergraduate and graduate…

Apr 29, 2019 · Anthony Hennen

The Challenges That the UNC System’s Top Teachers See for the Future

Good teaching is vital for college students to learn, but the work demands on professors and what type of work is actually rewarded means that teaching can be of secondary…

Apr 19, 2019 · Fabio Rojas

Conservative Arguments in Support of Undocumented College Students

In 2011, the leading Republican presidential candidates met for a debate and former Texas governor Rick Perry was booed by the audience. During the debate, he was asked to explain…

Apr 15, 2019 · Jenna A. Robinson

How NC State Became Free-Speech Friendly

Free speech on North Carolina’s campuses has come a long way in the last decade. North Carolina State University is the most recent school to earn a “green light” from…