Who’s Really Playing Politics at UNC?
Once upon a time, there was a happy, sleepy university system in which nobody quarreled. The Board of Governors rubberstamped whatever the President wanted, the legislature gladly handed over whatever…
How the North Carolina Legislature Can Improve Higher Education in 2018
Legislators returned to Raleigh last week for the beginning of a special session. Education was at the top of the agenda, with the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee meeting Tuesday…
The University of Michigan’s Costly and Pointless Diversity Plan
Just over a year ago, the University of Michigan launched a new, five-year-long initiative named the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) plan. In an official statement by President Mark Schlissel,…
Is Academic Reform for Insiders Only?
“Reform” is an appealing word, suggesting change intended for the better. It is frequently used in discussions of higher education. Critics, especially conservative ones, point out visible cracks in the…
Free Speech on Campus and Academic Freedom Under Attack in Arkansas
The state of Arkansas is facing an existential threat to academic freedom. That threat, however, is of a type that normally doesn’t receive public attention. The press typically writes about speech…
Regional Accreditors: Kings of the Academic Jungle–or Paper Tigers?
For many people, the topic of college accreditation is dry and arcane. But for faculty seeking to block actions they don’t like, accreditation is their last hope. By threatening its…
Opportunity Lost: UNC’s Board of Governors Rejects a Helpful Innovation
Wise decision making depends on knowledge of the full range of options and information, not with rhetoric designed to push a specific agenda. And leadership that seeks out only one…
Remaking Society One Five-Year Strategic Plan At a Time
In January of this year, the University of North Carolina (UNC) Board of Governors unanimously adopted a system-wide strategic plan commissioned by President Spellings. The plan, entitled Higher Expectations, provides…
Somewhere Between a Jeremiad and a Eulogy
Half of me is reluctant to write something harshly critical about higher education in the United States because I’m such a true-blue believer in, beneficiary of, and insider to the…
Athletics Department Oversight of Academics: A Scandal Waiting to Happen
If a university ignores potential conflicts of interests between athletics and academics, it imperils itself. Athletics departments that lack academic oversight signal misplaced priorities and pose a risk of becoming…