Phillip Magness Archives — The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal

Exposing the Moral Flaws in Our Higher Education System

Jul 5, 2019 · George Leef · No Comments

Many if not most professors and higher education leaders enjoy pontificating about their high-minded ideals in contrast with the grubby, self-interested world outside of academia. What few people have done is to turn the lens around and ask about the morals of those professors and leaders. Are they in fact paragons of virtue, or could … Continue reading “Exposing the Moral Flaws in Our Higher Education System”

Credential Inflation: What’s Causing It and What Can We Do About It? Aug 7, 2020
Credential inflation refers to an increase in the education credentials required for a job—for example, a job that used to be done by high school graduates but now requires new hires to have a college degree. Credential inflation has been going on for decades. One of the earliest mentions of it is in professor Randall … Continue reading “Credential Inflation: What’s Causing It and What Can We Do About It?”
Did You Know? More Open Seats at NC Colleges This Fall Aug 6, 2020
Since COVID-19 hit, students have taken notice and altered their college plans. Some high school seniors are delaying enrollment until the pandemic has subsided, leaving universities with more openings. This year, according to data collected by Sean Mulholland, an economics professor at Western Carolina University, from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), 10 … Continue reading “Did You Know? More Open Seats at NC Colleges This Fall”
Universities Appease China, Ignore Human Rights Abuses Aug 5, 2020
Long the vanguard of liberal change, the American university now leads the appeasement of a hardened authoritarian China. The interest in promoting a broader community of scholars has given way to a toxic combination of business interests, the inability of college leaders to recognize their failure in influencing Chinese education, and their unwillingness to see … Continue reading “Universities Appease China, Ignore Human Rights Abuses”

Universities Appease China, Ignore Human Rights Abuses Aug 5, 2020
Long the vanguard of liberal change, the American university now leads the appeasement of a hardened authoritarian China. The interest in promoting a broader community of scholars has given way to a toxic combination of business interests, the inability of college leaders to recognize their failure in influencing Chinese education, and their unwillingness to see … Continue reading “Universities Appease China, Ignore Human Rights Abuses”
If All Men are Created Equal, Why Do We Need Grades? Jul 29, 2020
I just finished a fascinating book, The Recovery of the West, by polymath Englishman Michael Roberts. Roberts became famous as a poet, but was trained as a scientist and spent much of his life as a teacher. Brief history of grading The book was published in 1941. A teacher in a typical English school at … Continue reading “If All Men are Created Equal, Why Do We Need Grades?”
Fall Uncertainty: College Leaders Have Left Students, Professors in the Dark Jul 27, 2020
Colleges across the country are preparing for potential spikes in coronavirus cases in the fall. As some students return to campus, schools are making plans to protect the health of students, faculty, and campus workers. Universities want to shorten face-to-face exposure on campus during the fall and winter. By starting the semester early, as many … Continue reading “Fall Uncertainty: College Leaders Have Left Students, Professors in the Dark”

Credential Inflation: What’s Causing It and What Can We Do About It? Aug 7, 2020
Credential inflation refers to an increase in the education credentials required for a job—for example, a job that used to be done by high school graduates but now requires new hires to have a college degree. Credential inflation has been going on for decades. One of the earliest mentions of it is in professor Randall … Continue reading “Credential Inflation: What’s Causing It and What Can We Do About It?”
Did You Know? More Open Seats at NC Colleges This Fall Aug 6, 2020
Since COVID-19 hit, students have taken notice and altered their college plans. Some high school seniors are delaying enrollment until the pandemic has subsided, leaving universities with more openings. This year, according to data collected by Sean Mulholland, an economics professor at Western Carolina University, from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), 10 … Continue reading “Did You Know? More Open Seats at NC Colleges This Fall”
Universities Appease China, Ignore Human Rights Abuses Aug 5, 2020
Long the vanguard of liberal change, the American university now leads the appeasement of a hardened authoritarian China. The interest in promoting a broader community of scholars has given way to a toxic combination of business interests, the inability of college leaders to recognize their failure in influencing Chinese education, and their unwillingness to see … Continue reading “Universities Appease China, Ignore Human Rights Abuses”