free speech act Archives — The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal

North Carolina’s New Institutional Neutrality Policy Is a Win for Preventing Campus Bias

Jul 4, 2017 · Jay Schalin · No Comments

Yesterday, I came to bury Caesar. That was a mistake, so today, I’m going to praise him. By “Caesar,” I mean the North Carolina Legislature. I wanted to “bury” them—in rhetorical fashion—for removing institutional neutrality out of the otherwise outstanding North Carolina Campus Free Speech Act (HB 527). After we published that article, I reread … Continue reading “North Carolina’s New Institutional Neutrality Policy Is a Win for Preventing Campus Bias”

Radically Transforming the Nation: Our Politicized Schools of Education Feb 20, 2019
If somebody wanted to fundamentally transform a society to its roots, where would he or she start? The most logical starting point would be education. And if there were one part of the educational system that would produce this transformation most broadly, effectively, and efficiently, it would most likely be at our schools of education … Continue reading “Radically Transforming the Nation: Our Politicized Schools of Education”
Law Schools Need to Adapt to Big Data and Technological Change Feb 15, 2019
Law is experiencing a revolution. Several changes are occurring, but they are all tied to the impact of information and communications technology (ICT), which is altering the nature of law at a fundamental level. This has happened in the past. Before the commercial printing press, for example, law was mostly simple legal treatises and maxims. … Continue reading “Law Schools Need to Adapt to Big Data and Technological Change”
Did the Hoaxers Do Anything Wrong? Feb 13, 2019
One of the three “Sokal Squared” academic hoaxers, Peter Boghossian of Portland State University, has been accused of violating his university’s research policies. Boghossian is the only one of the three to hold an (untenured) academic position and so is the only one vulnerable to disciplinary action. Boghossian and his compatriots parodied fashionable social-“science” research; … Continue reading “Did the Hoaxers Do Anything Wrong?”

Don’t Hire the Illusion: Screening Candidates for UNC Chancellor Feb 18, 2019
When hiring new workers, one of the overriding concerns for a company is ensuring that they hire the right people with the right qualifications. It’s the same for higher education. True, universities are dedicated to education and research, not business, but they are often institutions with billion-dollar budgets and many people with access to funds … Continue reading “Don’t Hire the Illusion: Screening Candidates for UNC Chancellor”
Arts Everywhere: Distracting from a UNC Scandal Feb 11, 2019
Although the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s former chancellor, Carol Folt, will mostly be remembered for the numerous scandals and years-long protests on campus during her tenure, she also leaves behind other less-publicized, but still controversial, projects. One of those projects she oversaw is Arts Everywhere, a “campus-wide arts initiative supported by the … Continue reading “Arts Everywhere: Distracting from a UNC Scandal”
The Slippery Slope of Speech Suppression at CUNY Feb 6, 2019
Public universities morally should and legally must uphold free speech. Unfortunately, the university where I’ve taught for 43 years has a very bad record, and matters are getting worse. The City University of New York (CUNY) has a long history of speech suppression, as a sampling of legal cases at its various campus units reveals. … Continue reading “The Slippery Slope of Speech Suppression at CUNY”

Radically Transforming the Nation: Our Politicized Schools of Education Feb 20, 2019
If somebody wanted to fundamentally transform a society to its roots, where would he or she start? The most logical starting point would be education. And if there were one part of the educational system that would produce this transformation most broadly, effectively, and efficiently, it would most likely be at our schools of education … Continue reading “Radically Transforming the Nation: Our Politicized Schools of Education”
Did the Hoaxers Do Anything Wrong? Feb 13, 2019
One of the three “Sokal Squared” academic hoaxers, Peter Boghossian of Portland State University, has been accused of violating his university’s research policies. Boghossian is the only one of the three to hold an (untenured) academic position and so is the only one vulnerable to disciplinary action. Boghossian and his compatriots parodied fashionable social-“science” research; … Continue reading “Did the Hoaxers Do Anything Wrong?”
Arts Everywhere: Distracting from a UNC Scandal Feb 11, 2019
Although the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s former chancellor, Carol Folt, will mostly be remembered for the numerous scandals and years-long protests on campus during her tenure, she also leaves behind other less-publicized, but still controversial, projects. One of those projects she oversaw is Arts Everywhere, a “campus-wide arts initiative supported by the … Continue reading “Arts Everywhere: Distracting from a UNC Scandal”

Radically Transforming the Nation: Our Politicized Schools of Education Feb 20, 2019
If somebody wanted to fundamentally transform a society to its roots, where would he or she start? The most logical starting point would be education. And if there were one part of the educational system that would produce this transformation most broadly, effectively, and efficiently, it would most likely be at our schools of education … Continue reading “Radically Transforming the Nation: Our Politicized Schools of Education”
The Politicization of University Schools of Education: The Long March through the Education Schools Feb 19, 2019
Education schools have become one of the most politicized corners of academia, and The Politicization of University Schools of Education: The Long March through the Education Schools reveals the extent of that politicization using two approaches. One is historical and operates at the theoretical level, showing how education schools were ideological from the start and became … Continue reading “The Politicization of University Schools of Education: The Long March through the Education Schools”
Don’t Hire the Illusion: Screening Candidates for UNC Chancellor Feb 18, 2019
When hiring new workers, one of the overriding concerns for a company is ensuring that they hire the right people with the right qualifications. It’s the same for higher education. True, universities are dedicated to education and research, not business, but they are often institutions with billion-dollar budgets and many people with access to funds … Continue reading “Don’t Hire the Illusion: Screening Candidates for UNC Chancellor”