Author Profile

Douglas Oliver

Douglas Oliver is an attorney in Ohio and an emeritus professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Toledo (which has recently established an on-campus mandate). He currently teaches math and engineering at Taylor University in Indiana.

Articles by Douglas Oliver

Colleges Should Stop Forcing Students to Live On-Campus

Jan 28, 2019 · Douglas Oliver · No Comments

A long-time practice for many private universities has been to require most freshmen and sophomores to live in campus residence halls. State-supported public universities, too, have copied their private counterparts in recent years. However, doing so drives up the cost of education and restricts the constitutional rights of public university students—all in the name of … Continue reading “Colleges Should Stop Forcing Students to Live On-Campus”

Law Schools Need to Adapt to Big Data and Technological Change Feb 15, 2019
Law is experiencing a revolution. Several changes are occurring, but they are all tied to the impact of information and communications technology (ICT), which is altering the nature of law at a fundamental level. This has happened in the past. Before the commercial printing press, for example, law was mostly simple legal treatises and maxims. … Continue reading “Law Schools Need to Adapt to Big Data and Technological Change”
Did the Hoaxers Do Anything Wrong? Feb 13, 2019
One of the three “Sokal Squared” academic hoaxers, Peter Boghossian of Portland State University, has been accused of violating his university’s research policies. Boghossian is the only one of the three to hold an (untenured) academic position and so is the only one vulnerable to disciplinary action. Boghossian and his compatriots parodied fashionable social-“science” research; … Continue reading “Did the Hoaxers Do Anything Wrong?”
The Costs and Benefits of College for an Entrepreneur Feb 8, 2019
Launching a business is always a risk. And for young entrepreneurs, their path to success isn’t clear. But the long-debated question of whether an individual should jump right into running an infant business remains focused on one question: is a university education required for someone to be a successful entrepreneur? “The short answer to your … Continue reading “The Costs and Benefits of College for an Entrepreneur”

Arts Everywhere: Distracting from a UNC Scandal Feb 11, 2019
Although the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s former chancellor, Carol Folt, will mostly be remembered for the numerous scandals and years-long protests on campus during her tenure, she also leaves behind other less-publicized, but still controversial, projects. One of those projects she oversaw is Arts Everywhere, a “campus-wide arts initiative supported by the … Continue reading “Arts Everywhere: Distracting from a UNC Scandal”
Colleges Should Stop Forcing Students to Live On-Campus Jan 28, 2019
A long-time practice for many private universities has been to require most freshmen and sophomores to live in campus residence halls. State-supported public universities, too, have copied their private counterparts in recent years. However, doing so drives up the cost of education and restricts the constitutional rights of public university students—all in the name of … Continue reading “Colleges Should Stop Forcing Students to Live On-Campus”
Looking at Higher Ed Through Rose-Colored Glasses Jan 14, 2019
It can be tempting for college leaders to focus solely on data that support their policy initiatives—to the exclusion of other relevant information. Unfortunately, intentionally or not, University of North Carolina system president Margaret Spellings seems to have given in to this temptation. At Spellings’ last meeting of the UNC Board of Governors with her … Continue reading “Looking at Higher Ed Through Rose-Colored Glasses”

Arts Everywhere: Distracting from a UNC Scandal Feb 11, 2019
Although the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s former chancellor, Carol Folt, will mostly be remembered for the numerous scandals and years-long protests on campus during her tenure, she also leaves behind other less-publicized, but still controversial, projects. One of those projects she oversaw is Arts Everywhere, a “campus-wide arts initiative supported by the … Continue reading “Arts Everywhere: Distracting from a UNC Scandal”
The Slippery Slope of Speech Suppression at CUNY Feb 6, 2019
Public universities morally should and legally must uphold free speech. Unfortunately, the university where I’ve taught for 43 years has a very bad record, and matters are getting worse. The City University of New York (CUNY) has a long history of speech suppression, as a sampling of legal cases at its various campus units reveals. … Continue reading “The Slippery Slope of Speech Suppression at CUNY”
The Board Ain’t Broke, So It Don’t Need “Fixin’” Feb 4, 2019
Attacks by academics and the media on the University of North Carolina system’s Board of Governors have become a major part of the state’s political landscape in recent years, and such attacks may be intensifying. The board is described at times as inept, divisive, “partisan,” “anti-intellectual,” and mean-spirited; unless they are “reined in,” North Carolina’s … Continue reading “The Board Ain’t Broke, So It Don’t Need “Fixin’””

Law Schools Need to Adapt to Big Data and Technological Change Feb 15, 2019
Law is experiencing a revolution. Several changes are occurring, but they are all tied to the impact of information and communications technology (ICT), which is altering the nature of law at a fundamental level. This has happened in the past. Before the commercial printing press, for example, law was mostly simple legal treatises and maxims. … Continue reading “Law Schools Need to Adapt to Big Data and Technological Change”
Did the Hoaxers Do Anything Wrong? Feb 13, 2019
One of the three “Sokal Squared” academic hoaxers, Peter Boghossian of Portland State University, has been accused of violating his university’s research policies. Boghossian is the only one of the three to hold an (untenured) academic position and so is the only one vulnerable to disciplinary action. Boghossian and his compatriots parodied fashionable social-“science” research; … Continue reading “Did the Hoaxers Do Anything Wrong?”
Arts Everywhere: Distracting from a UNC Scandal Feb 11, 2019
Although the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s former chancellor, Carol Folt, will mostly be remembered for the numerous scandals and years-long protests on campus during her tenure, she also leaves behind other less-publicized, but still controversial, projects. One of those projects she oversaw is Arts Everywhere, a “campus-wide arts initiative supported by the … Continue reading “Arts Everywhere: Distracting from a UNC Scandal”