Attacking the For-profit Sector Helps Neither Students Nor Taxpayers
The federal government currently holds around $1.5 trillion in outstanding student loans—up from “only” $500 million in 2007. Undoubtedly, the federal government—and taxpayers—have an enormous stake in higher education and…
The Oberlin Case Gives College Leaders a Teachable Moment
When college officials violate people’s rights, they run the risk of bringing on lawsuits that can cost their schools a lot of money. The most common instance has been hyper-aggressive…
Why Is UNC Funding a ‘Hub for Social Justice?’
Campus protests started in the 1960s, but protests on today’s college campuses have a different vibe. While protests in the past pitted students against university leadership, protests in the present…
A Witch Hunt Comes for a Nonconformist Professor
On 30 April 2019, St. Edmunds College, University of Cambridge, rescinded a fellowship to the outstanding young researcher Noah Carl, who self-identifies as a conservative. The rescinding was unjust, and…
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…
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…
Commencements Show the UNC System’s Struggles with Political Neutrality
In 2017, the North Carolina legislature passed House Bill 527 (now State Law 2017-196) to foster open inquiry in the state’s public colleges and universities. One of the provisions ordered…
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…
Keeping Journalists in the Dark: ‘Citation Cartels’ Limit Public Knowledge
The public relies on journalists to learn about and share academic research. Public knowledge can be undermined, however, when academics try to influence what research journalists cover or limit the…
From Indoctrination to Education: Salvaging the University
Editor’s note: This article is an excerpt from Coming Home: Reclaiming America’s Conservative Soul (ISBN: 9781641770569), to be published by Encounter Books on May 14. The promise of higher education…