Politicization

Higher education’s fundamental mission is the discovery, preservation, and transmission of truth. This endeavor requires unfettered freedom of expression and conscience. The following articles expose illiberal tendencies on American campuses and highlight ways to increase the diversity of the ideas being taught, debated, and discussed on campus.

No, really – this column is reason to turn down several million dollars?

Nov 19, 2004 ·

RALEIGH — A monthly column of mine is under fire by a handful of loud leftists at the University of Chapel Hill. The bunch, which includes a few professors (a very few, let it be said), are arguing that my column is acceptable grounds upon which the university’s College of Arts and Sciences must desist in their efforts to propose a program in Western Civilization that would win an outside grant worth several million dollars.

We Lost, But You’re Stupid

Nov 8, 2004 ·

RALEIGH — In the famous fable by Aesop, a fox exerts itself in vain attempting to snatch a cluster of grapes. Finally realizing that the grapes were out of his reach, the fox consoled himself by convincing himself they were sour. “Sour grapes” became a way to describe a face-saving attitude for having failed to attain something desperately sought.

Kerry only tells half the story on college costs

Oct 29, 2004 ·

As part of his litany of George Bush woes, John Kerry cites rising college costs. It’s up dramatically since Bush took office, he says, pricing hundreds of thousands of students out. Kerry cites only the “sticker price” of tuition and fees, however. He’s ignoring that the net price ‹ that’s the sticker price discounted by grant aids and tax benefits ‹ is actually lower now than it was ten years ago.

Kerry only tells half the story about college costs

Oct 26, 2004 ·

As part of his litany of George Bush woes, John Kerry cites rising college costs. It’s up dramatically since Bush took office, he says, pricing hundreds of thousands of students out. Kerry cites only the “sticker price” of tuition and fees, however. He’s ignoring that the net price — that’s the sticker price discounted by grant aids and tax benefits — is actually lower now than it was ten years ago.

Pope Center Conference Saturday at N.C. State

Oct 14, 2004 ·

RALEIGH – Academic freedom and the rights of students to express their views on different subjects will be among the topics discussed during the annual John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy Conference Saturday at the Jane S. McKimmon Center at N.C. State University.

Where UNC Could Show Some Real Leadership

Oct 7, 2004 ·

On September 29, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser delivered his “State of the University Address.” Throughout his speech, Chancellor Moeser talked repeatedly about the importance of the university showing leadership. Leadership would indeed be a splendid thing if it were in the areas central to the university’s educational mission.

Scandal at School of the Arts

Oct 6, 2004 ·

RALEIGH — High-level administrators at the North Carolina School of the Arts engaged in “willful, deliberate, and intentional” violations of N.C. law in what State Auditor Ralph Campbell described Tuesday as “similar to the debacle at Enron.”

Campbell said the findings at the NCSA were as serious as any his office had uncovered previously.

Racial and Sexual Discrimination at UNC, and All

Oct 4, 2004 ·

RALEIGH — Last week the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights issued a ruling that a lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill had sexually and racially discriminated against, and harassed, a student in her class last fall. I repeat: the OCR found that, at UNC-CH, a teacher abused her authority to discriminate against and harass one of her students based upon the student’s race and sex.

James Moeser’s very bad idea

Sep 3, 2004 ·

RALEIGH – By now it is well known that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill made national headlines again for something that, depending upon whom you ask, demonstrates its animus against Christian groups or its passion for the principles of diversity. Specifically, UNC-CH is being sued by a Christian fraternity, Alpha Iota Omega, for officially derecognizing the group because the group wouldn’t sign a “nondiscrimination” pledge.