Freeing the Soul from Ignorance: Why Students Should take Hard Classes

Jan 26, 2022 · · Comments Off on Freeing the Soul from Ignorance: Why Students Should take Hard Classes

Two thousand twenty-one was a hard year for colleges: admissions are down, revenues are diminished, and four-year degree alternatives are achieving greater market recognition. In such a climate, colleges need to answer the question increasingly asked by high school students and their parents: why should one attain a college degree? To thrive in the coming … Continue reading “Freeing the Soul from Ignorance: Why Students Should take Hard Classes”

The Intimidation Game: Bullying and Retaliation at the University of Tulsa  

Oct 23, 2019 · · Comments Off on The Intimidation Game: Bullying and Retaliation at the University of Tulsa  

Since April, I’ve witnessed the ongoing destruction of the University of Tulsa (TU) by a cadre of wealthy and powerful people affiliated with the billionaire George Kaiser. Kaiser is the controlling shareholder of the Bank of Oklahoma Financial (BOKF), which handles much of TU’s business and is the corporate trustee of its $1.2 billion endowment. … Continue reading “The Intimidation Game: Bullying and Retaliation at the University of Tulsa  “

Intellectual Diversity and Academic Professionalism

Feb 21, 2018 · · Comments Off on Intellectual Diversity and Academic Professionalism

Editor’s Note: This is a condensed version of a speech Dr. Otteson gave at a January James G. Martin Center luncheon. Our topic today is the importance of intellectual diversity on campus. I doubt there is anyone here who does not believe in the importance of intellectual diversity on campus, so I would like to … Continue reading “Intellectual Diversity and Academic Professionalism”

Is Faculty Accountability Lacking at UNC Wilmington?

Feb 19, 2018 · · Comments Off on Is Faculty Accountability Lacking at UNC Wilmington?

In my 45 years of teaching I have never filed an academic complaint against another faculty member—nor has one ever been filed against me. I have long believed that this demonstrates the overwhelming integrity of the teaching profession. But in 2012, as a professor and former chair in film studies at the University of North … Continue reading “Is Faculty Accountability Lacking at UNC Wilmington?”

Public Acceptance of Lying Extends to the Triangle

Apr 23, 1999 · · Comments Off on Public Acceptance of Lying Extends to the Triangle

According to the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative organization based in Washington D.C., public acceptance of lying in academe has increased in recent years. The May-June issue of AEI’s magazine, The American Enterprise, includes several articles that blame postmodern scholarship on this recent trend.