To the editor: Peer reviews are always suspect because the peers usually have have their own subjective opinions and are therefore inclined to bias. Review should only address factual integrity. Rockne Hughes Enid, Oklahoma
Entry-level math courses such as college algebra and introductory statistics are required in most universities, regardless of major. Math courses are required because they are a crucial part of every student’s education—even if a student is not majoring in mathematics or engineering. The skills and cognitive development acquired through math classes are essential to any … Continue reading “Did You Know? Student Math Grades Vary in UNC System”
Former Harvard president Derek Bok has long lamented that our institutions of higher education largely underperform in their missions. He has now written another book making that argument. His Higher Expectations is a coolly rational analysis of what needs to be done to improve American undergraduate education. He uses as his frame a study by … Continue reading “Derek Bok’s Higher Expectations – Our Colleges Should Accomplish More”
To the editor: I neither know Darrell Allison nor anything about his appointment as Chancellor at Fayetteville State University. But I also read that he is seeking to improve FSU’s retention and graduation rates, which reportedly are some of the worst in the UNC system. That’s not necessarily going to be popular with the Faculty … Continue reading “Letter to the Editor: The state should have a voice in who runs public universities”
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earned a reputation for having a remarkably effective COVID-19 mitigation plan. Its experience is one that other colleges should pay attention to. As mentioned in a previous Martin Center article, the success of the university’s COVID-19 plan was applauded for strategically reopening in fall 2020. Urbana-Champaign kept case counts … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Campus COVID-19 Plan That Worked”
College tuition increases across the country have shown no sign of slowing down. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the sticker price of tuition (before discounts and student aid) for all institutions was $4,885 in 1985; by 2018, it was $23,835, a 387 percent increase. That’s a dramatic increase over a few decades. … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Ever-Increasing Sticker Price of College Tuition”
About 67 percent of four-year colleges plan to re-open in the fall for in-person classes, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Those re-openings tend to be in states with Republican governors, who have been more willing to reopen their states. Although 26 states have a Republican governor, only 41 percent of colleges and universities … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Partisan Split in Re-opening Colleges”
Students from about 100 universities brought class-action lawsuits against colleges that have refused to give tuition refunds after COVID-19 shut down campuses. So far, the only aid students have received has come through the federal CARES Act. Those universities facing lawsuits include large, nationally known schools such as Drexel University, the University of Miami, and … Continue reading “Did You Know? Student Lawsuits and De Facto Refunds”
In 2017, the North Carolina legislature passed House Bill 527 (now State Law 2017-196) in order to foster free, open inquiry in the state’s colleges and universities. One of the provisions ordered the University of North Carolina system Board of Governors to produce an annual report on two major categories of intellectual freedom: free speech … Continue reading “Free Speech at UNC 2018”