What is the state of academic history? Take a look at the latest issue of the American Historical Review, the flagship journal of the academic discipline. It doesn’t publish bread-and-butter research articles; those go to specialist journals and fill published essay collections. Instead, its articles illustrate entire schools of historiography, using research as an entrée … Continue reading “Peer-Reviewed History is Dying of Wokeness”
UNC-Chapel Hill offers a wide variety of major and minor programs to its undergraduates, and each student’s résumé carries the authority of the first public university in the United States. However, if one peers beyond the grandiose titles of some students’ undergraduate programs, one is liable to find the contents rather vacuous. For example, UNC’s … Continue reading “Did You Know? UNC’s Minor in Social and Economic Justice Doesn’t Require Economics Courses”
In 1987, philosopher Allan Bloom published The Closing of the American Mind, a book critiquing higher education in America. As a self-described teacher “dedicated to liberal education,” Bloom offered a thoughtful account of illiberal cultural and ideological trends: Civic education turned away from concentrating on the Founding to concentrating on openness based on history and … Continue reading “The Reopening of the American Mind”
There is much discussion in academia at present about the future of tenure. Critics of this protection from political or moral pressure against freedom of inquiry include both left-progressives, who see it as an illegitimate method to prevent the penalization of conservatives, and some on the right who believe that market forces should be allowed … Continue reading “The DIE Revolution Will Transform Tenure”
Politicians and activists are making increasingly strident claims that democracy is under attack and that democratic norms are being threatened. Yet, when it comes to the true point of democracy—namely, the voting public determining public policy—the biggest threat is a subtle one. There’s an increasing tendency in mature democracies to outsource policy decisions to “non-partisan … Continue reading “Academic Expertise and the Principal-Agent Problem”
As students and parents shop for colleges, trying to envision what they will receive in return for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, one of the central questions on their minds is, “How much personal attention and access to professors does this college offer?” No simple statistic can provide an answer. At first glance, … Continue reading “Beyond Student-Faculty Ratios”
A good many Americans are aware of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI), a vogue phrase signaling the application of Critical Race Theory. They read DEI statements from their employers, see stories about DEI on the news, and learn about it in school. What Americans may not be aware of—yet—is that myriad companies, institutions, and organizations … Continue reading “Did You Know? “DEI” is Becoming “DEIJ””
The United States is world-renowned for its higher-education system. As a result, it has become home to a massive population of international students. These students contribute to the cultural and intellectual diversity of our campuses, enrich the experience of the student body, and bring in-demand expertise to our institutions. However, this positive enterprise is thrown … Continue reading “How China Plays Us for Fools: CCP Subversion of Student Groups”
Just over one year ago, Cairn University, a small, private, Christian school in southeastern Pennsylvania, made a strategic institutional decision to eliminate its School of Social Work and all related degrees and programs, thus bringing to an end a 50-plus-year run. Closing what was a pioneering program with a long history and a sound reputation … Continue reading “At Cairn University, a Program-Accreditation Nightmare”
Earlier this year, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) identified 39 million adults who had some higher-education experience as of July 2020 but had not earned any credentials and were no longer enrolled at a college or university. The NSCRC named this cohort the “Some College, No Credential” population. The NSCRC’s study found that … Continue reading “Did You Know? “Some College, No Credential” Students Are a Significant Cohort”