Joshua Silverstein, Author at The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal

Professors Fight to Save Free Speech on Campus and Academic Freedom in Arkansas

Jul 12, 2019 · Joshua Silverstein and Robert Steinbuch · Comments Off

In March 2018, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees adopted new rules that fatally undermine academic freedom. We authored this piece for the Martin Center explaining the damage the amendments would inflict on higher education in the state. Unfortunately, the Board of Trustees ignored our warning, a warning reiterated by numerous other faculty and … Continue reading “Professors Fight to Save Free Speech on Campus and Academic Freedom in Arkansas”

Free Speech on Campus and Academic Freedom Under Attack in Arkansas

Nov 21, 2017 · Robert Steinbuch and Joshua Silverstein · Comments Off

The state of Arkansas is facing an existential threat to academic freedom. That threat, however, is of a type that normally doesn’t receive public attention. The press typically writes about speech codes and political interference with research on controversial subjects, but as serious as those threats are, they are nothing compared to that posed by central … Continue reading “Free Speech on Campus and Academic Freedom Under Attack in Arkansas”

Tenure’s False Promise Jun 29, 2022
Although tenure has been hotly debated over the years, it is still widely misunderstood as guaranteeing a professor a lifetime position. What happened in May to Joshua Katz, a classics professor at Princeton, calls into question this assumption and, by extension, raises a question about the rights of an individual in our legal system. Katz’s … Continue reading “Tenure’s False Promise”
Did You Know? New College to Launch in Wake Forest This Fall Jun 23, 2022
Thales College, a new undergraduate institution launching this fall in Wake Forest, N.C., is eagerly preparing to open its doors to its inaugural class. Thales College is a unique institution with a fresh vision for higher ed: rigorous academics and effective professional preparation joined with a commitment to affordability not often found among other higher … Continue reading “Did You Know? New College to Launch in Wake Forest This Fall”
The Limits of Expertise Jun 22, 2022
As a professor devoted to his college’s “pre-disciplinary” core curriculum, I was hooked by David Epstein’s title, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. The book is chock-full of anecdotes and evidence that people with breadth or range—indeed, amateurs in the true sense of the word—can contribute immensely to enterprises in environments that seem, … Continue reading “The Limits of Expertise”

UNC System Coaches’ Salaries: An Intentional Mystery? Jul 4, 2022
College sports are a lifestyle for many people and an indispensable business opportunity for colleges and universities. Many UNC System schools are perhaps better known for their sports teams than for their academic offerings. Likewise, it can be common for students to make their college decisions based on athletics. After flirting with the benchmark during … Continue reading “UNC System Coaches’ Salaries: An Intentional Mystery?”
How UT-Austin Administrators Destroyed an Intellectual Diversity Initiative Jul 1, 2022
By now, only the most dishonest or intentionally ignorant observers deny the existential crisis facing higher education. Universities no longer even maintain the pretense of dispassionate rational and free inquiry, focusing instead on a particularly toxic and frankly absurd form of “social-justice” activism, increasingly even in the hard sciences. Why does this situation persist? Here, … Continue reading “How UT-Austin Administrators Destroyed an Intellectual Diversity Initiative”
Tenure’s False Promise Jun 29, 2022
Although tenure has been hotly debated over the years, it is still widely misunderstood as guaranteeing a professor a lifetime position. What happened in May to Joshua Katz, a classics professor at Princeton, calls into question this assumption and, by extension, raises a question about the rights of an individual in our legal system. Katz’s … Continue reading “Tenure’s False Promise”

Did You Know? Department of Education Extends FAFSA-Verification Waiver Jul 7, 2022
Citing the continuing impact of COVID-19, the Department of Education extended its Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) verification waiver on May 18, 2022. Each academic year, millions of students fill out FAFSA applications to become eligible for their share of the $112 billion handed out by the Federal Office of Student Aid annually. … Continue reading “Did You Know? Department of Education Extends FAFSA-Verification Waiver”
The Origins and Impact of Racially Divisive Curricula Jul 6, 2022
In the fall of 2021, it appeared that Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Terry McAuliffe, would rather easily defeat his Republican challenger, Glenn Youngkin. But the election turned dramatically once a number of parents voiced their opposition to the racially-themed material that was being taught in schools. They didn’t think it appropriate to tell students that … Continue reading “The Origins and Impact of Racially Divisive Curricula”
UNC System Coaches’ Salaries: An Intentional Mystery? Jul 4, 2022
College sports are a lifestyle for many people and an indispensable business opportunity for colleges and universities. Many UNC System schools are perhaps better known for their sports teams than for their academic offerings. Likewise, it can be common for students to make their college decisions based on athletics. After flirting with the benchmark during … Continue reading “UNC System Coaches’ Salaries: An Intentional Mystery?”