Author Profile

Jenna A. Robinson

Jenna Robinson joined the Martin Center in January 2007 as campus outreach coordinator and later became the center’s director of outreach. She was previously the E.A. Morris Fellowship assistant at the John Locke Foundation, where she had worked since 2001.

Robinson graduated from N.C. State University in 2003 with a major in political science and French. She has studied at the University of East Anglia School of American Studies in Norwich, United Kingdom. She received her master’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005 and her Ph.D. in political science, with a concentration in American politics and a minor in methods, from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2012. Robinson is also a graduate of the Koch Associate Program sponsored by the Charles G. Koch Foundation.

Robinson’s work has appeared in Investor’s Business Daily, Roll Call, Forbes, American Thinker, Human Events, Carolina Journal, the Lincoln Tribune, the Hickory Daily Record, the Gaston Gazette, the Mountain Express, and the (Raleigh) News & Observer. She has taught courses in American politics at UNC-Chapel Hill, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Wake Technical Community College. In 2013, she testified before Congress on the Federal Pell Grant Program.

She has previously served as a member of the North Carolina Longitudinal Data System Board and the North Carolina Advisory Committee for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. She currently serves on the board of the Classical Liberals in the Carolinas.

Robinson lives in Cary, NC, with her husband and two sons.

Articles by Jenna A. Robinson

Did You Know? The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees Voted Against Ending Discrimination in University Admissions

Nov 11, 2021 · Jenna A. Robinson · Comments Off

Last week, the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees considered a resolution to end discrimination and special preferences in all the university’s activities. The Board ultimately rejected the resolution, but it has already sparked public discussion around the state. On Nov. 4, 2021, UNC-CH Trustee Marty Kotis offered the following resolution: “The university shall not discriminate … Continue reading “Did You Know? The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees Voted Against Ending Discrimination in University Admissions”

Why Is the AAUP Investigating UNC?

Oct 25, 2021 · Jenna A. Robinson · Comments Off

On September 29, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) announced that it is investigating what it calls “egregious violations of principles of academic governance and persistent structural racism in the University of North Carolina System.” To do so, it has launched a special committee and will release its findings in early 2022. According to … Continue reading “Why Is the AAUP Investigating UNC?”

Did You Know? Some UNC Institutions Are Inefficient

Oct 7, 2021 · Jenna A. Robinson · Comments Off

At the September meeting of the UNC Board of Governors, the Budget Committee received an important presentation: UNC System Workforce Trends Part II. The report included detailed data about the growth of university personnel expenditures compared to changes in enrollment and degree completion. Overall, the UNC System spent 18 percent more on salaries in FY … Continue reading “Did You Know? Some UNC Institutions Are Inefficient”

Is it Time to Rethink Tenure?

Oct 4, 2021 · Jenna A. Robinson · Comments Off

In a recent article for the Martin Center, Duke professor Mike Munger asked an important question: should “a political board composed of nonacademics…be empowered to evaluate faculty proposals on hiring and curriculum in the first place?” He argued that, in practice, boards have already ceded that authority. For many years, shared governance, at least on … Continue reading “Is it Time to Rethink Tenure?”

Beauty and Wisdom: Renew the Culture by Restoring the Liberal Arts

Jul 30, 2021 · Jenna A. Robinson · Comments Off

Universities are in dire need of reform. They are too expensive; the classwork is too easy; the curriculum too unfocused. Too many students drop out or don’t care. Indeed, many of today’s universities have strayed so far from their original purpose that creating a path for reform and renewal seems impossible. But a new book … Continue reading “Beauty and Wisdom: Renew the Culture by Restoring the Liberal Arts”

What Are Students Learning? Make Syllabi Public

Jul 12, 2021 · Jenna A. Robinson · Comments Off

Online education, especially as it has been implemented in the past year, isn’t for everyone. But it has had one unexpected benefit: transparency. Across the country, parents have had a chance to see for themselves what their children are learning. At the K-12 level, it’s been eye-opening. But college students need less supervision. So, even … Continue reading “What Are Students Learning? Make Syllabi Public”

It’s Not About ‘Politics’—The Brouhaha over Nikole Hannah-Jones

May 24, 2021 · Jenna A. Robinson · Comments Off

Last week, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees came under fire for “viewpoint discrimination” over its decision not to offer tenure to Nikole Hannah-Jones, who will join UNC’s Hussman School of Journalism in July. An anonymous source reported that the decision was “a very political thing.” But politics needn’t have come into … Continue reading “It’s Not About ‘Politics’—The Brouhaha over Nikole Hannah-Jones”

Did You Know? Not All UNC Students Get the Same Funding

May 20, 2021 · Jenna A. Robinson · Comments Off

The University of North Carolina system includes 16 universities, from large campuses with high research activity to small liberal arts institutions. They differ in many ways, from location to student body to the classes they offer. They also differ in state funding—from $7,760 per student at Appalachian State University to $31,969 per student at the … Continue reading “Did You Know? Not All UNC Students Get the Same Funding”

1776 Unites: An Alternative to Campus Victimhood Culture

Mar 12, 2021 · Jenna A. Robinson · Comments Off

Over the past decade, American moral culture has changed. The evidence of those changes has been especially apparent on college campuses, where new concepts such as microaggressions, safe spaces, trigger warnings, and bias response teams were first tested. But this new “victimhood culture” is devastating to its adherents, disempowering them and dooming them to disappointment. … Continue reading “1776 Unites: An Alternative to Campus Victimhood Culture”

Did You Know? North Carolina Students Pay For Health Services Twice

Feb 18, 2021 · Jenna A. Robinson · Comments Off

All students enrolled in UNC system institutions are required to have health insurance coverage. They also pay a Health Services Fee to their university. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield, The UNC System endorses a cost-effective Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) that covers additional health care expenses not included in the Student Health Fee. This … Continue reading “Did You Know? North Carolina Students Pay For Health Services Twice”