Author Profile

Paul Gottfried

Paul Gottfried is Raffensperger Professor of Humanities Emeritus at
Elizabethtown College. He is the author of eleven books, most recently Leo Strauss and the Conservative Movement in America (Cambridge University Press, 2011), and more than one hundred scholarly articles. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1983.

Articles by Paul Gottfried

Sorry, Students, but I Have Never Espoused Racism or White Supremacy

Jan 19, 2018 · Paul Gottfried · 32 Comments

As I watched the antics of the hooded “Antifa” mobs at Berkeley and other large universities last year, I thought that I’d missed something in my many years as a college professor. Unlike Milo Yiannopoulos, Ann Coulter, Charles Murray, and other dissenters from the leftist academic consensus, I had never been assailed by raging anti-fascist … Continue reading “Sorry, Students, but I Have Never Espoused Racism or White Supremacy”

A Small College Is Suffering from Self-inflicted Wounds

Feb 24, 2017 · Paul Gottfried · 14 Comments

Recently, one of my neighbors saw students from Elizabethtown College, where I taught for many years, walking down the street wearing what looked like the puzzle pieces featured as symbols by Autistic Awareness. When he asked why they were wearing the all-white puzzle pieces, one of the coeds proudly explained that they were dramatizing the … Continue reading “A Small College Is Suffering from Self-inflicted Wounds”

“Publish or Perish” Isn’t So Bad

Sep 23, 2015 · Paul Gottfried · No Comments

Despite its flaws, the “publish or perish” systerm at least makes sure faculty members aren’t total deadbeats.

The Academy Then and Now

Mar 14, 2014 · Paul Gottfried · No Comments

Academic leftists used to be interested in ideas and arguments; much less so today.

What “Recruiting” Means Today

Sep 16, 2013 · Paul Gottfried · No Comments

Colleges put aside the quest for excellence in favor of candidates with the proper views and characteristics.

How Multiculturalism Transformed My College

Aug 8, 2013 · Paul Gottfried · No Comments

Elizabethtown College leaders fell head over heels for that fad and now the school is much the worse.

The End of Being a Duke Professor and What It Means for the Future of Higher Education Apr 22, 2019
The end of the spring semester marks the 20th anniversary of my professorship at Duke, first as an assistant professor and then as an associate professor of the practice at the Sanford School of Public Policy. During this time, I regularly taught the required ethics class for all undergraduate public policy majors. I won multiple … Continue reading “The End of Being a Duke Professor and What It Means for the Future of Higher Education”
Conservative Arguments in Support of Undocumented College Students Apr 19, 2019
In 2011, the leading Republican presidential candidates met for a debate and former Texas governor Rick Perry was booed by the audience. During the debate, he was asked to explain his approval of a policy at the University of Texas that gave scholarships to undocumented students. The audience did not approve. Governor Perry was right … Continue reading “Conservative Arguments in Support of Undocumented College Students”
The Keys to Getting a Startup Job in College Apr 17, 2019
Most people go to college to get a job. Recreation is an added benefit on top of getting a job. Education comes second to recreation in terms of hours spent studying. That is the great secret of a college education. It’s the secret everybody within the walls of the university knows but isn’t allowed to … Continue reading “The Keys to Getting a Startup Job in College”

The End of Being a Duke Professor and What It Means for the Future of Higher Education Apr 22, 2019
The end of the spring semester marks the 20th anniversary of my professorship at Duke, first as an assistant professor and then as an associate professor of the practice at the Sanford School of Public Policy. During this time, I regularly taught the required ethics class for all undergraduate public policy majors. I won multiple … Continue reading “The End of Being a Duke Professor and What It Means for the Future of Higher Education”
How NC State Became Free-Speech Friendly Apr 15, 2019
Free speech on North Carolina’s campuses has come a long way in the last decade. North Carolina State University is the most recent school to earn a “green light” from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for its speech policies. Nearly ten years ago, when the Martin Center partnered with FIRE to take … Continue reading “How NC State Became Free-Speech Friendly”
Campus Free Speech Needs Protection—The Question Is How Apr 3, 2019
Like a cannonball, President Trump has leaped into the turbulent waters of higher education free speech policy and action. Carrying through on a promise he made during a freewheeling speech he delivered at CPAC a few weeks ago, the president has issued an executive order that throws the power of the federal government into the … Continue reading “Campus Free Speech Needs Protection—The Question Is How”

The End of Being a Duke Professor and What It Means for the Future of Higher Education Apr 22, 2019
The end of the spring semester marks the 20th anniversary of my professorship at Duke, first as an assistant professor and then as an associate professor of the practice at the Sanford School of Public Policy. During this time, I regularly taught the required ethics class for all undergraduate public policy majors. I won multiple … Continue reading “The End of Being a Duke Professor and What It Means for the Future of Higher Education”
Conservative Arguments in Support of Undocumented College Students Apr 19, 2019
In 2011, the leading Republican presidential candidates met for a debate and former Texas governor Rick Perry was booed by the audience. During the debate, he was asked to explain his approval of a policy at the University of Texas that gave scholarships to undocumented students. The audience did not approve. Governor Perry was right … Continue reading “Conservative Arguments in Support of Undocumented College Students”
The Keys to Getting a Startup Job in College Apr 17, 2019
Most people go to college to get a job. Recreation is an added benefit on top of getting a job. Education comes second to recreation in terms of hours spent studying. That is the great secret of a college education. It’s the secret everybody within the walls of the university knows but isn’t allowed to … Continue reading “The Keys to Getting a Startup Job in College”