As a professor devoted to his college’s “pre-disciplinary” core curriculum, I was hooked by David Epstein’s title, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. The book is chock-full of … Continue reading “The Limits of Expertise”
What will they learn? That is the question that the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has been asking America’s colleges for thirteen years in a report by the … Continue reading “Many NC Students Are Missing out on Core Knowledge”
On December 13th, 2019, Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz became the 12th chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to his appointment, he had been serving as interim … Continue reading “A Conversation with the Chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill”
There are a lot of good reasons to question the value of a traditional college degree. Tuition costs have been rising at a rate that’s almost eight times faster than … Continue reading “North Carolina Colleges Shouldn’t Confuse Cafeteria-Style Curriculum with Strong Liberal Arts”
In higher education, the value of a liberal arts education has been frequently debated. Defenders on the left argue that it exposes students to coursework and teaches critical thinking skills … Continue reading “Fixing a Liberal Arts Education Requires a Standardized Curriculum”
Explaining higher education policy is never easy (even to people who are involved in it). Over the years, while training young writers for the Martin Center, I have come up … Continue reading “The Four Perspectives of Higher Education Policy Explained”
It is imperative that universities take the time to deeply reflect on their purpose (or rather, purposes). There is no better time for UNC-Chapel Hill to do so than now, … Continue reading “UNC’s New Gen Ed Proposal Reflects Major Philosophical Shift from Knowledge to Process”
Recently, a general education course at UNC-Chapel Hill, “Big-Time College Sports,” was canceled. This sparked controversy after the course’s professor, Jay Smith, argued that the class, which he had taught … Continue reading “Study Only What You Want? Not If You Want to Be Successful”
General education does not get the respect it deserves on U.S. campuses.
NC State’s general education program lacks focus and expects too little of students.