Many people believe that if a college or university is accredited, that’s the equivalent of a guarantee of quality. Just as the seal of approval from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) tells … Continue reading “Time to Rethink University Accreditation”
Predictions that American higher education is on the verge of great change have been heard for quite a few years, but so far the system doesn’t look much different than … Continue reading “How Higher Education is Going to Change”
We have reached a critical juncture in our nation’s history. As once hallowed institutions decay before our eyes, parallel structures struggle to arise. Cryptocurrencies, Fintechs, and private equity funds hedge … Continue reading “Getting Serious About a Parallel University System”
Let’s Be Reasonable: A Conservative Case for Liberal Education is indeed a reasonable book. Drawing on thinkers from John Locke to Allan Bloom, Ursinus College political theory professor Jonathan Marks … Continue reading “Be Reasonable, But Not Naive, About the Crisis in Higher Ed”
Now that President Biden has been sworn in as the 46th president, he wants to hit the ground running and attend to urgent priorities. One of his first moves was … Continue reading “Biden Could Shake Up Higher Ed—If He Doesn’t Endorse the Status Quo”
Editor’s note: This is an abridged transcript of a speech Richard Vedder gave at a Martin Center luncheon on January 30, 2020. I will concentrate today on the economics of … Continue reading “American Higher Education: Beset with Problems, but Solutions Exist”
With the hyperbole inherent in a politicized topic like student loans, it’s important to step back and look at the data. The Department of Education recently published a quarterly report … Continue reading “Did You Know? The State of Federal Student Loans”
Russell Kirk isn’t known as a policy wonk. The Great Books, not the mathematical or statistical models of economic technicians, were his organon of choice. He devoted essays to broad, … Continue reading “Russell Kirk on Higher Education”
For years I have railed against the dysfunctional federal student loan program. The availability of cheap federal student loans has enabled universities to increase tuition fees aggressively, helping fund an … Continue reading “New Research Shows Federal Student Aid Is Worse than We Thought”
The modern American university has changed almost beyond recognition from the form it had even 100 years ago. It is larger, more “diverse,” more of a business, and more industrialized … Continue reading “The Mess of Federal Funds Is Changing the University”