Author Profile

Anthony Hennen

Anthony joined the Martin Center in October 2017. He holds a bachelor of science degree in journalism from Ohio University and a master's degree in politics/philosophy/economics from the Cevro Institute in Prague, Czech Republic.

Previously, he worked as a staff writer for Red Alert Politics and as the administrative director for the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

Articles by Anthony Hennen

Without Financial Transparency, Colleges Mislabel Research Spending as Instructional

Oct 7, 2019 · Anthony Hennen · No Comments

Public colleges spend public money, but college officials are reluctant to make information about their budgets easy to understand. That aversion to transparency makes it easier to pass non-instructional expenses along to students. Many experts have discussed the problem. But without transparency, it can be hard to show just how much so-called instruction is actually … Continue reading “Without Financial Transparency, Colleges Mislabel Research Spending as Instructional”

Waiting for Reform: The Plans to Fix College Sports

Aug 26, 2019 · Anthony Hennen · No Comments

The public has lost faith in the NCAA and colleges to protect student-athletes. When surveying the numerous ideas for fixing college sports, it’s hard to make any other conclusion. Reform is by insiders and outsiders alike—even if it doesn’t happen. Demands for college athletics reform, however, aren’t rare in the history of college sports. A … Continue reading “Waiting for Reform: The Plans to Fix College Sports”

Student Loan Defaults Reveal the True Cost of Student Loans

Aug 2, 2019 · Anthony Hennen · No Comments

With the rising number of student loan defaults, the federal government has reaped what it has sown. A government policy to give virtually any student a loan has pushed tens of thousands of them into a financial hole from which they will struggle to escape for years. A new report from The Institute for College … Continue reading “Student Loan Defaults Reveal the True Cost of Student Loans”

A Much-Needed Satire of College Has Arrived

Jul 10, 2019 · Anthony Hennen · No Comments

Inane occurrences on college campuses tend to parachute into national news headlines every week or two. Those glimpses, however, cannot do justice to the reality of the collegiate atmosphere. To do so, a recent satire on higher ed—Original Prin by Randy Boyagoda—captures that atmosphere well for those outside the academic bubble. It’s light-hearted rather than … Continue reading “A Much-Needed Satire of College Has Arrived”

Reforming Higher Education: A Reading List

Jun 28, 2019 · Anthony Hennen · No Comments

As more students have headed to college and a degree is seen as a way to shape students as workers and as citizens, higher education’s mission has become more important. Its leaders, and their personal beliefs, have become more contentious, too. In recent months, many conservative thinkers have publicly debated how to reform higher education—or, … Continue reading “Reforming Higher Education: A Reading List”

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

May 20, 2019 · Jenna A. Robinson and Anthony Hennen · No Comments

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 one chamber or carried a substantial spending component. For bills focused on higher education, about a dozen are left standing—mostly because they contain appropriations. Bills … Continue reading “Bill Roundup: The Higher Ed Topics Prioritized by the North Carolina General Assembly”

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

May 13, 2019 · Anthony Hennen · No Comments

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 professor’s job title. Yet, for even the most highly paid professors, their salaries are eclipsed by administrators. A Martin Center analysis of salary data from … Continue reading “The High Price of Faculty and Administrative Salaries in the UNC System”

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

Apr 29, 2019 · Anthony Hennen · No Comments

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 importance. To keep teaching quality high, the University of North Carolina system tries to recognize great teaching. For 25 years, the UNC system has given … Continue reading “The Challenges That the UNC System’s Top Teachers See for the Future”

Improving Student Outcomes by Consolidating the University System of Georgia

Apr 12, 2019 · Anthony Hennen · No Comments

As the cost of college creeps up and more small colleges close, consolidation has become a lifeline of last resort. To survive, dozens of small institutions have either merged or have been absorbed into larger ones. That way, the threat (usually financial) disappears and students are assured the larger institution is stable. But these mergers … Continue reading “Improving Student Outcomes by Consolidating the University System of Georgia”

The Radical Experimental College in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Apr 8, 2019 · Anthony Hennen · No Comments

North Carolina is widely respected for institutions such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, both research-intensive and high-prestige schools. But it’s less known for a radically experimental college that was tucked away in the Appalachian mountains more than half a century ago. Just east of Asheville, Black Mountain College … Continue reading “The Radical Experimental College in the Blue Ridge Mountains”