Author Profile

Jack Salmon

Jack Salmon is a research associate at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. His research focuses on the US economy, federal budget, higher education, and institutions and economic growth. His research and commentary have been featured in a variety of outlets, including The Hill, the American Institute for Economic Research, Foundation for Economic Education, and Business Insider, and he has published in scholarly journals, such as the Journal of School Choice.

Articles by Jack Salmon

Reassessing the College Wage Premium Payoff

Mar 19, 2021 · Jack Salmon · Comments Off

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts within the higher education policy space were projecting that four-year colleges could face a loss of up to 20 percent in fall enrollment. While these predictions never materialized, the political infatuation with college enrollment figures is not a new phenomenon. Barack Obama proclaimed the orthodox view of … Continue reading “Reassessing the College Wage Premium Payoff”

N.C. Campuses’ Long War Sep 26, 2022
World wars have been fought in less time than the battle the UNC and N.C. Community College Systems have waged to create a user-friendly database that active-duty military personnel and veterans can use to ease their transition into higher education. Lawmakers and veterans advocates want to know why higher-education officials have failed for nearly a … Continue reading “N.C. Campuses’ Long War”
AP Economics is a Model of Academic Rigor Sep 16, 2022
As a college professor and former academic dean, I have long heard that Advanced Placement courses are generally not the equal of their college equivalents. Each of the 38 AP courses has a related college course, for which a qualifying student may receive college credit. Upon completing an AP exam, each student receives a score … Continue reading “AP Economics is a Model of Academic Rigor”
Why the Canon Wars Still Matter Sep 14, 2022
Like an overlong proxy war, the “canon” skirmishes of the 1980s and ’90s no longer feature in the media, though the conflict persists. As in a battle over this or that town, the ongoing war might manifest as a fight over particular books, but the real disagreement exists between competing visions for humanity and society. … Continue reading “Why the Canon Wars Still Matter”

British Universities Show Why “More” Does Not Mean “Better” Sep 23, 2022
The Biden administration is seeking to “cancel” student debt by transferring what individual students owe to the American taxpayer. Opponents question why Americans who never graduated from college, and had none of the attendant benefits of a degree, should pick up the tab for those who did. Defenders of the Biden order counter with the … Continue reading “British Universities Show Why “More” Does Not Mean “Better””
UNC’s Board of Governors May Reconsider A Fee Increase Sep 22, 2022
Today, the UNC Board of Governors will take up an important question: Is it appropriate to increase student fees when students are already facing tight budgets due to inflation? For most fees, the System has already answered with a resounding “no.” But an exception may be made for the System-wide campus security fee. The Committee … Continue reading “UNC’s Board of Governors May Reconsider A Fee Increase”
After Student-Loan Forgiveness, Mandatory Credentialing Has to Go Sep 21, 2022
President Biden recently announced a controversial, half-trillion-dollar student-loan-forgiveness scheme in which his administration would use a minor provision of the post-9/11 HEROES Act to excuse student borrowers from repaying roughly $500 billion in federal taxpayer funds. This regressive, unnecessary, and perverse maneuver promises to steer vast sums to affluent college-goers, even as it encourages colleges to … Continue reading “After Student-Loan Forgiveness, Mandatory Credentialing Has to Go”

N.C. Campuses’ Long War Sep 26, 2022
World wars have been fought in less time than the battle the UNC and N.C. Community College Systems have waged to create a user-friendly database that active-duty military personnel and veterans can use to ease their transition into higher education. Lawmakers and veterans advocates want to know why higher-education officials have failed for nearly a … Continue reading “N.C. Campuses’ Long War”
British Universities Show Why “More” Does Not Mean “Better” Sep 23, 2022
The Biden administration is seeking to “cancel” student debt by transferring what individual students owe to the American taxpayer. Opponents question why Americans who never graduated from college, and had none of the attendant benefits of a degree, should pick up the tab for those who did. Defenders of the Biden order counter with the … Continue reading “British Universities Show Why “More” Does Not Mean “Better””
Blueprints for Reform Sep 22, 2022
The university system in the United States has accomplished a great deal of good, but it has strayed from its chief goals of scholarly inquiry and responsible teaching, especially in the past 20 years. All too often, universities allow teaching to become shallow and trendy, failing to challenge students intellectually and disparaging traditional principles of … Continue reading “Blueprints for Reform”