University of Tulsa Archives — The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal

How Tulsa University Was Turned into Toxic University

Mar 25, 2020 · Jacob Howland · No Comments

Suffering from self-inflicted wounds, the University of Tulsa is sick and getting sicker. This is a case study in how “progressive” academic leadership can wreck a once-excellent university. Last April 11, the university’s administration rolled out “True Commitment,” a radical restructuring that gutted the liberal arts, raised course loads, dissolved academic departments, and effectively turned … Continue reading “How Tulsa University Was Turned into Toxic University”

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

Oct 23, 2019 · Jacob Howland · No Comments

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 “

Administrative Hardball at the University of Tulsa

May 8, 2019 · Jacob Howland · No Comments

On April 11, the administration of the University of Tulsa shocked faculty, students, and alumni by announcing the elimination of 40 percent of the school’s academic programs. Undergraduate and graduate programs in theater, musical theater, dance, vocal and instrumental music, English, history, philosophy, religion, chemistry, French, German, Russian, Chinese, Greek, Latin, anthropology, mathematics, and many … Continue reading “Administrative Hardball at the University of Tulsa “

Covid-19 College Shutdowns: Making Professors More Empathetic Jul 3, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an equalizer among parents of school-aged children across the United States. As Americans learn to juggle jobs, families, and their children’s education, this experience is revealing what “normal” looks like for many college students who have done the same long before the pandemic hit. In 2015, for example, my brother … Continue reading “Covid-19 College Shutdowns: Making Professors More Empathetic”
The Time Is Now: Abolish the Department of Education Jul 1, 2020
There are now 15 United States federal executive departments. Here they are, in order of their dates of inception: State, 1789 Treasury, 1789 Interior, 1849 Agriculture, 1862 Justice, 1870 Commerce, 1903 Labor, 1913 Defense, 1947 Health and Human Services, 1953 Housing and Urban Development, 1965 Transportation, 1967 Energy, 1977 Education, 1979 Veterans Affairs, 1989 Homeland … Continue reading “The Time Is Now: Abolish the Department of Education”
Goldstein: Research Universities Have a Duty to Reopen Jun 29, 2020
Although colleges across the country plan to reopen for the fall semester, much is still unknown about how to best proceed. Leaders are grappling with how to best safeguard public health while attempting to re-establish some sense of normalcy on campus. Despite the uncertainties that lie ahead, a professor at the University of North Carolina … Continue reading “Goldstein: Research Universities Have a Duty to Reopen “

Did You Know? The Decline of Free Speech Zones Jul 2, 2020
The term “free speech zone” can be misleading. While the name implies a policy that promotes free expression, free speech zones do the opposite. They confine political demonstrations to a small, often secluded, area on campus and typically require students to get advance permission to demonstrate. In Oregon, a pro-life group, Students for Life, filed … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Decline of Free Speech Zones”
Goldstein: Research Universities Have a Duty to Reopen Jun 29, 2020
Although colleges across the country plan to reopen for the fall semester, much is still unknown about how to best proceed. Leaders are grappling with how to best safeguard public health while attempting to re-establish some sense of normalcy on campus. Despite the uncertainties that lie ahead, a professor at the University of North Carolina … Continue reading “Goldstein: Research Universities Have a Duty to Reopen “
Did You Know? What Makes Faculty Happy with Online Classes Jun 25, 2020
The spring semester saw college campuses close and rush to remote instruction. With many schools planning to keep using remote classes in some form for the fall, their benefits need to be understood—as well as their costs. In a recent article published by Studies in Higher Education, Shelly Marasi, Brian Jones, and Janna M. Parker … Continue reading “Did You Know? What Makes Faculty Happy with Online Classes”

Did You Know? The Decline of Free Speech Zones Jul 2, 2020
The term “free speech zone” can be misleading. While the name implies a policy that promotes free expression, free speech zones do the opposite. They confine political demonstrations to a small, often secluded, area on campus and typically require students to get advance permission to demonstrate. In Oregon, a pro-life group, Students for Life, filed … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Decline of Free Speech Zones”
Activist Academics Threaten the Integrity of Higher Ed Jun 19, 2020
The rise of activist professors has shaped the culture in higher ed for decades. As activists have become more prominent, a familiar process has changed academic departments, pushing scholars out and replacing them with professors who think in political terms and prioritize social change. A new Martin Center policy brief, ‘Witches’ and ‘Viruses:’ The Activist-Academic … Continue reading “Activist Academics Threaten the Integrity of Higher Ed”
Why Students Have Turned Away from History Jun 10, 2020
I taught history from 1976 through 2013 at Harvard, Carnegie-Mellon, the Naval War College, and Williams College. The 37 years of my career coincided with a drastic change in the nature of history as it is taught in our colleges and universities. That led to an extraordinary decline in student interest in history, reflected in … Continue reading “Why Students Have Turned Away from History”

Covid-19 College Shutdowns: Making Professors More Empathetic Jul 3, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an equalizer among parents of school-aged children across the United States. As Americans learn to juggle jobs, families, and their children’s education, this experience is revealing what “normal” looks like for many college students who have done the same long before the pandemic hit. In 2015, for example, my brother … Continue reading “Covid-19 College Shutdowns: Making Professors More Empathetic”
Did You Know? The Decline of Free Speech Zones Jul 2, 2020
The term “free speech zone” can be misleading. While the name implies a policy that promotes free expression, free speech zones do the opposite. They confine political demonstrations to a small, often secluded, area on campus and typically require students to get advance permission to demonstrate. In Oregon, a pro-life group, Students for Life, filed … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Decline of Free Speech Zones”
The Time Is Now: Abolish the Department of Education Jul 1, 2020
There are now 15 United States federal executive departments. Here they are, in order of their dates of inception: State, 1789 Treasury, 1789 Interior, 1849 Agriculture, 1862 Justice, 1870 Commerce, 1903 Labor, 1913 Defense, 1947 Health and Human Services, 1953 Housing and Urban Development, 1965 Transportation, 1967 Energy, 1977 Education, 1979 Veterans Affairs, 1989 Homeland … Continue reading “The Time Is Now: Abolish the Department of Education”