Topic: Academics

The Evidence for Standardized Tests Already Exists

Oct 17, 2018 · · No Comments on The Evidence for Standardized Tests Already Exists

Making college admissions “test-optional” has been steadily gaining steam among elite and liberal arts American colleges. In late September, Colby College and Rosemont College joined the hundreds of other institutions that do not require their applicants to submit standardized test scores to be admitted to the school. Other schools that have “test-optional” policies include Bowdoin … Continue reading “The Evidence for Standardized Tests Already Exists”

How Colleges Could Benefit from an NBA Rule Change

Oct 15, 2018 · · No Comments on How Colleges Could Benefit from an NBA Rule Change

It is increasingly apparent that college basketball serves as an unofficial minor league for the National Basketball Association (NBA) rather than as an extracurricular activity for students. And it is not by accident, but by design. Take the NBA’s “one-and-done” rule, for instance. It has sparked debate since its addition to the 2005 NBA Collective … Continue reading “How Colleges Could Benefit from an NBA Rule Change”

The Tangled Web of Scientific Publishing

Oct 10, 2018 · · No Comments on The Tangled Web of Scientific Publishing

Science Publishing Is Incoherent, Expensive, and Slow Communication is essential to science. The aim of scientific publication is to convey new findings as quickly as possible to as many interested parties as possible. But the world of “peer-reviewed” scientific publishing no longer functions as it should. Many publishing practices were devised at a time when … Continue reading “The Tangled Web of Scientific Publishing”

Can Higher Ed Revive Rural North Carolina?

Oct 8, 2018 · · No Comments on Can Higher Ed Revive Rural North Carolina?

Many rural counties in the United States—including those in North Carolina—are on life support. They are struggling with shrinking and aging populations, shuttered businesses, disappearing job bases, and a general sense of hopelessness. While their plight may be common knowledge, there is little consensus about how this situation can be resolved. Some policymakers and researchers … Continue reading “Can Higher Ed Revive Rural North Carolina?”

How Women Can Avoid the Student Loan Gender Gap

Oct 5, 2018 · · No Comments on How Women Can Avoid the Student Loan Gender Gap

Every year, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) releases a new report illustrating how women are disproportionately impacted by student loan debt. The average woman graduates with $2,739 more in federal loans than the average male graduate, they argue. But while suggestions to fix this gender debt gap have typically targeted lawmakers, students are … Continue reading “How Women Can Avoid the Student Loan Gender Gap”

Higher Education and the Threat of Fascism

Oct 3, 2018 · · No Comments on Higher Education and the Threat of Fascism

In a recent essay published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Yale philosophy professor Jason Stanley is haunted by a spectre—the spectre of American universities aiding the rise of fascism. (The essay, “Fascism and the University” is subscriber-only content, unfortunately.) He says that “patterns have emerged that suggest the resurgence of fascist politics globally” and … Continue reading “Higher Education and the Threat of Fascism”

Apathetic Bureaucrats and Students: What the Right Deals with on Campus

Oct 1, 2018 · · No Comments on Apathetic Bureaucrats and Students: What the Right Deals with on Campus

Headlines in the conservative blogosphere sometimes characterize academia as a hostile environment. Real and egregious offenses by administrators, faculty, and fellow students occur that trample the rights of conservative and libertarian students and their invited speakers. But do these incidents represent the situation on most campuses? My own experience at Wake County Technical College in … Continue reading “Apathetic Bureaucrats and Students: What the Right Deals with on Campus”

Exposing the Harms of the ‘Diversity Delusion’

Sep 26, 2018 · · No Comments on Exposing the Harms of the ‘Diversity Delusion’

On November 7, 2006, Michigan voters passed Proposition 2, a measure that banned the use of racial preferences throughout state government and state universities. The next day, University of Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman issued a defiant statement. In it she pledged to fight in the courts against the voters’ decision to have a color-blind … Continue reading “Exposing the Harms of the ‘Diversity Delusion’”

Have North Carolina Colleges Improved Their Free Speech Protections?

Sep 24, 2018 · · No Comments on Have North Carolina Colleges Improved Their Free Speech Protections?

Free speech on campus has become a point of concern for many. News reports describe speakers being disinvited from campus or shouted down. Events such as students being arrested for giving away free copies of the U.S. Constitution on a college campus have become ordinary. North Carolina has not been immune to this worrisome trend. In … Continue reading “Have North Carolina Colleges Improved Their Free Speech Protections?”

Why Humanities Programs Suffer as the Humanities Themselves Do Great

Sep 19, 2018 · · No Comments on Why Humanities Programs Suffer as the Humanities Themselves Do Great

In recent years, the media has given us dire warnings about the “crisis of the humanities.” In article after article, one reads about falling enrollments in college English departments and funding cuts. Inside Higher Ed, a popular website that covers higher education, reports that English majors have declined 20 percent since 2012. History programs have … Continue reading “Why Humanities Programs Suffer as the Humanities Themselves Do Great”