What Policies Are Conservatives Actually For in Higher Education?

Apr 7, 2021 · Christian Barnard · Comments Off

It’s no secret that higher ed reformers have struggled to offer a compelling alternative to free college and loan forgiveness offered from the left. This failure is partially because conservatives and libertarians are usually on the defensive about higher ed policy. In response to that problem, the American Enterprise Institute organized a panel discussion titled … Continue reading “What Policies Are Conservatives Actually For in Higher Education?”

How Comfortable Do Conservatives Feel on Campus?

Sep 28, 2018 · Joseph Warta · Comments Off

The internet is filled with stories of how conservative student groups are mistreated on campus. Conservative and libertarian students often sound the alarm about hostile administrators, violent protesters, and unpleasant experiences. They have their invited speakers shouted down, prevented from speaking by the imposition of exorbitant security fees, or simply canceled by administrators bending to … Continue reading “How Comfortable Do Conservatives Feel on Campus?”

Curiosity Is Important, But Colleges Are Suppressing It May 14, 2021
No one needs curiosity more than the young, but our educational system is doing its best to suppress it. The kids are being bored out of their minds. Of course, that’s nothing new in our K-12 schools. As older Americans recall the time they spent in classrooms, they’ll also remember how they were bored, and … Continue reading “Curiosity Is Important, But Colleges Are Suppressing It”
Did You Know? The Fight Over Campus Vaccine Mandates May 13, 2021
As American higher ed prepares for the on-campus experience again, college leaders are encountering a problem: whether they can (or should) mandate the COVID-19 vaccine. The response varies by state and institution. In states like Utah and Texas, state legislatures have banned colleges and all state entities from requiring vaccines. Other places, like North Carolina, … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Fight Over Campus Vaccine Mandates”
UNC’s 1619 Project Hire: A Case Study of Failed University Governance May 10, 2021
The recent hiring of New York Times columnist Nikole Hannah-Jones as a faculty member in UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism raises serious red flags about how the university is being run. Last week, the Martin Center’s Jay Schalin reported on Hannah-Jones’s appointment to the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at UNC. Hannah-Jones … Continue reading “UNC’s 1619 Project Hire: A Case Study of Failed University Governance”

Did You Know? The Fight Over Campus Vaccine Mandates May 13, 2021
As American higher ed prepares for the on-campus experience again, college leaders are encountering a problem: whether they can (or should) mandate the COVID-19 vaccine. The response varies by state and institution. In states like Utah and Texas, state legislatures have banned colleges and all state entities from requiring vaccines. Other places, like North Carolina, … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Fight Over Campus Vaccine Mandates”
Did You Know? College Enrollments Fall Again May 6, 2021
Student enrollment dipped at the beginning of the pandemic, but the numbers went from bad to worse a year later. As Inside Higher Ed reported, spring undergraduate enrollment fell almost 6 percent compared to last year—with a 11 percent decline among community colleges. Colleges lost younger students between 18 and 20 the most: their enrollment … Continue reading “Did You Know? College Enrollments Fall Again”
The Trouble with Faculty Hiring Booms in a Politicized Time Apr 30, 2021
Most businesses and the general public had a brutal year in 2020—perhaps with the notable exceptions of Zoom and toilet paper manufacturers. Universities suffered as well, with enrollment drops and budget cuts forcing them to freeze hiring and salaries, furlough faculty and staff, and restrict spending. Some colleges even went insolvent, with many others on … Continue reading “The Trouble with Faculty Hiring Booms in a Politicized Time”

Regional Colleges Can Compete by Emphasizing Choosing the Right Major Apr 9, 2021
The wage premium attached to a bachelor’s degree largely explains why high school graduates who would have previously looked for a job now apply to college. But they need to know up-front that what they major in has far more importance in landing a well-paying job than where they spend the next four years. For … Continue reading “Regional Colleges Can Compete by Emphasizing Choosing the Right Major”
What Policies Are Conservatives Actually For in Higher Education? Apr 7, 2021
It’s no secret that higher ed reformers have struggled to offer a compelling alternative to free college and loan forgiveness offered from the left. This failure is partially because conservatives and libertarians are usually on the defensive about higher ed policy. In response to that problem, the American Enterprise Institute organized a panel discussion titled … Continue reading “What Policies Are Conservatives Actually For in Higher Education?”
Why Liberal Arts Colleges Are Failing and How to Revive Them Mar 31, 2021
The loss of public trust in universities that has risen to front page news did not suddenly emerge in 2020. In 2018 the non-partisan Gallup organization found that, for the first time, less than half of Americans have “a lot of confidence” in higher education. Even more pointedly, Gallup reported that “No other institution has … Continue reading “Why Liberal Arts Colleges Are Failing and How to Revive Them”

Curiosity Is Important, But Colleges Are Suppressing It May 14, 2021
No one needs curiosity more than the young, but our educational system is doing its best to suppress it. The kids are being bored out of their minds. Of course, that’s nothing new in our K-12 schools. As older Americans recall the time they spent in classrooms, they’ll also remember how they were bored, and … Continue reading “Curiosity Is Important, But Colleges Are Suppressing It”
Did You Know? The Fight Over Campus Vaccine Mandates May 13, 2021
As American higher ed prepares for the on-campus experience again, college leaders are encountering a problem: whether they can (or should) mandate the COVID-19 vaccine. The response varies by state and institution. In states like Utah and Texas, state legislatures have banned colleges and all state entities from requiring vaccines. Other places, like North Carolina, … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Fight Over Campus Vaccine Mandates”
University Decline: Hofstadter’s Warning Has Been Ignored May 12, 2021
The 1960s were a turbulent period for academia, and we are still struggling with the repercussions of that turbulence today. Indeed, today’s “woke” campus is in many ways the result of policies, patterns, and practices initiated in that period and its immediate aftermath in the early 1970s. It may therefore be useful to look at … Continue reading “University Decline: Hofstadter’s Warning Has Been Ignored”