Workforce Development

Generations ago, universities educated future clergymen and the children of the well-to-do. Today, institutions of higher learning have a hand in developing much of the American workforce. The following articles consider the theory and practice of this crucial task. How are colleges meeting their obligation to equip students to flourish in their careers?


Higher Education Behind Bars

Concerns about crime and public safety are top of mind for many North Carolinians. Happily, university and community-college systems offering correctional-education programs can play a role in reducing recidivism. Partnerships…





Job Training and the Liberal Arts

Martin Center: How did this working group and report come to exist? Toby King: Last year, Peter Hans, UNC System president, approached the faculty assembly and said, “I feel that…


Limit Student Visas

Recent events—including, among other things, President Trump’s attempt to ban Harvard University from enrolling international students and the online backlash against Elon Musk for defending visa policies that allow college-educated…


Selling Dreams, Not Reality

Choosing a college major is a life-altering decision, made millions of times a year by 18-year-olds with little exposure to higher education or labor markets. Colleges frame programs in terms…


Fifty Years of the Common App

This year marks a significant milestone in the history of American higher education—the Common Application celebrates its 50th anniversary. Over the past half-century, the Common Application has become the dominant…


Not All New Credentials Are Created Equal

A new report from AEI and the Burning Glass Institute offers a data-rich yet sobering diagnosis of modern credentialism. As Americans have sought faster, cheaper alternatives to traditional college degrees,…