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George Leef

George Leef is director of editorial content for the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Carroll College (Waukesha, WI) and a juris doctor from Duke University School of Law. He was a vice president of the John Locke Foundation until 2003.

Prior to joining the Locke Foundation, Leef was president of Patrick Henry Associates, a consulting firm in Michigan dedicated to assisting others in advocating free markets, minimal government, private property, and individual rights. Previously, Leef was on the faculty of Northwood University in Midland, Michigan, where he taught courses in economics, business law, and logic. He has also worked as a policy adviser in the Michigan Senate.

A regular columnist for Forbes.com, Leef was book review editor of The Freeman, published by the Foundation for Economic Education, from 1996 to 2012. He has published numerous articles in The Freeman, Reason, The Free Market, Cato Journal, The Detroit News, Independent Review, and Regulation. He writes regularly for the National Review's The Corner blog and for SeethruEdu.com.

Articles by George Leef

Restoring a Great Intellectual Tradition to America’s Campuses

Aug 16, 2019 · · No Comments on Restoring a Great Intellectual Tradition to America’s Campuses

Americans used to relish good debates. The debates between Senator Stephen Douglas and his challenger Abraham Lincoln in 1858 were transcribed and widely read. Even though Lincoln lost the election, the quality of his arguments impressed so many people that he became the Republican Party’s nominee for president just two years later. College campuses are … Continue reading “Restoring a Great Intellectual Tradition to America’s Campuses”

Exposing the Moral Flaws in Our Higher Education System

Jul 5, 2019 · · No Comments on Exposing the Moral Flaws in Our Higher Education System

Many if not most professors and higher education leaders enjoy pontificating about their high-minded ideals in contrast with the grubby, self-interested world outside of academia. What few people have done is to turn the lens around and ask about the morals of those professors and leaders. Are they in fact paragons of virtue, or could … Continue reading “Exposing the Moral Flaws in Our Higher Education System”

The Oberlin Case Gives College Leaders a Teachable Moment

Jun 21, 2019 · · No Comments on 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 Title IX actions where the accused student was presumed guilty and railroaded into suspension or expulsion and later successfully sued over the violation of his … Continue reading “The Oberlin Case Gives College Leaders a Teachable Moment”

A Book Full of Advice for High School and College Grads

Jun 14, 2019 · · No Comments on A Book Full of Advice for High School and College Grads

America’s education establishment beams out a message to young people like a pulsar: Go to college! A high percentage of them do. Once the students are enrolled, however, the schools pretty much leave them alone. To a large degree, students decide what courses they’ll take. What they do in and out of class is up … Continue reading “A Book Full of Advice for High School and College Grads”

Our Accreditation System Has Bennett College Struggling for Life

Jun 3, 2019 · · No Comments on Our Accreditation System Has Bennett College Struggling for Life

Founded in 1873 in Greensboro, North Carolina, Bennett College is one only two of historically black colleges just for women. It has been a four-year college since 1926, but in recent years it has, like so many other small, private colleges, found survival increasingly difficult. The school’s enrollment fell from 780 students in 2010 to … Continue reading “Our Accreditation System Has Bennett College Struggling for Life”

Can Americans ‘Handle the Truth’ About Individual Achievement Differences?

May 29, 2019 · · No Comments on 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 Jack Nicholson) that he wants the truth. To that, Jessup shouts back, “You can’t handle the truth.” What brings that to mind is the recent … Continue reading “Can Americans ‘Handle the Truth’ About Individual Achievement Differences?”

Caveat Magister: Even Medical Professors Must Not Say Politically Incorrect Things

Apr 24, 2019 · · No Comments on Caveat Magister: Even Medical Professors Must Not Say Politically Incorrect Things

How far has the United States gone down the road of punishing people for uttering politically incorrect thoughts? Very far indeed, as an incident at the University of Louisville shows. Yes, we know that faculty in the “soft” fields of the social sciences endanger their careers if they happen to say something that upsets someone … Continue reading “Caveat Magister: Even Medical Professors Must Not Say Politically Incorrect Things”

How Bad Is For-Profit Higher Education, Actually?

Apr 10, 2019 · · No Comments on How Bad Is For-Profit Higher Education, Actually?

For about fifteen years, from 1995 to 2010, enrollments grew rapidly in the for-profit higher education sector, but since then have fallen substantially. The reason for the decline is mainly the overt hostility to for-profits during the Obama administration. The Department of Education killed off two of the largest for-profit competitors (Corinthian and ITT), and … Continue reading “How Bad Is For-Profit Higher Education, Actually?”

Former University President Nails Many of Higher Education’s Ills

Feb 27, 2019 · · No Comments on Former University President Nails Many of Higher Education’s Ills

Often, the strongest criticisms of higher education come from insiders. One insider is Daniel Johnson, who retired as president of the University of Toledo in 2006 after an academic career that included several senior leadership positions. He has recently published a book, The Uncertain Future of American Public Higher Education, that illuminates many of the … Continue reading “Former University President Nails Many of Higher Education’s Ills”

Title IX Administers Another Flogging to Campus Free Speech

Jan 23, 2019 · · No Comments on Title IX Administers Another Flogging to Campus Free Speech

When Congress wrote the 1972 amendments to the Education Act, it meant to prevent colleges and universities that received federal money from discriminating against students based on sex. Title IX states that schools lose eligibility for federal money if they discriminate against either men or women. Over the years, federal courts have expanded and contorted … Continue reading “Title IX Administers Another Flogging to Campus Free Speech”