Author Profile

Rob Jenkins

Rob Jenkins is a 32-year veteran of higher education, a regular contributor to the Chronicle of Higher Education and other publications, and the author of four books, including The 9 Virtues of Exceptional Leaders: Unlocking Your Leadership Potential (with Karl Haden) and Welcome to My Classroom. He currently serves as associate professor of English at Georgia State University Perimeter College and as a Senior Fellow at the Academy for Academic Leadership. The views expressed here are his own and not necessarily those of his employers.

Articles by Rob Jenkins

No, the World Doesn’t Need More Humanities PhDs

Aug 10, 2018 · Rob Jenkins · No Comments

In May, The Chronicle of Higher Education asked four academics from across the country to weigh in on the “adjunct crisis.” The results were predictable, with most of the blame directed at the usual suspects: bean-counting administrators, complacent, tenured faculty members, tight-fisted state legislators, and, of course, those evil Republicans. Solutions generally involved pressuring colleges and universities to fork … Continue reading “No, the World Doesn’t Need More Humanities PhDs”

Why Conservative Policymakers Should Support Community Colleges

Mar 23, 2018 · Rob Jenkins · No Comments

In the first installment of this series, I offered several reasons why conservative families ought to consider sending their kids to the local community college. This time, I would like to examine some of the reasons why conservative state legislators and other policymakers should be supportive of the two-year colleges in their states. I do … Continue reading “Why Conservative Policymakers Should Support Community Colleges”

The Conservative Case for Community Colleges, Part I: To Parents

Feb 9, 2018 · Rob Jenkins · 2 Comments

For many parents, the prospect of sending their kids off to college can be daunting. If the price tag alone doesn’t scare them silly, there are more than enough stories about campus rape culture, fatal binge drinking, the opioid crisis, snowflake syndrome, attacks on free speech, and lack of due process to keep parents awake … Continue reading “The Conservative Case for Community Colleges, Part I: To Parents”

Notes from the Free Speech Underground

Nov 10, 2017 · Rob Jenkins · 3 Comments

In October, I attended the first-ever FIRE Faculty Conference. If you’re not familiar with FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education), you should be—assuming you support free speech, open inquiry, and viewpoint diversity on college campuses. Since 1999, FIRE has been on the front lines of the campus free speech battle, speaking out publicly whenever … Continue reading “Notes from the Free Speech Underground”

Let’s Not Throw the Dual Enrollment Baby Out with the Bathwater

Apr 26, 2017 · Rob Jenkins · 13 Comments

Dual enrollment programs, which allow high school students to take college courses for college credit, have been getting some bad publicity lately. In 2013, the popular college watchdog site Minding the Campus reported problems with instructor qualifications. More recently, an article here on the Martin Center site questioned the way dual enrollment programs are administered … Continue reading “Let’s Not Throw the Dual Enrollment Baby Out with the Bathwater”