Topic: Governance

Did You Know? 86 Colleges Have Closed or Merged Since 2016

Sep 19, 2019 · · No Comments on Did You Know? 86 Colleges Have Closed or Merged Since 2016

Since 2016, colleges and universities have fought to stay open as enrollments fall, especially liberal arts colleges. Many colleges are adding more certificate programs in technology fields and dropping low-enrollment humanities programs. The threat has been most acute for small liberal-arts colleges with small endowments that rely on tuition for most of their revenue. To … Continue reading “Did You Know? 86 Colleges Have Closed or Merged Since 2016”

UNC Board Steps Up to Defend Civil Discourse on Campus

Sep 16, 2019 · · No Comments on UNC Board Steps Up to Defend Civil Discourse on Campus

An important new front in the culture war has opened up at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one with major implications about intellectual diversity and how universities in North Carolina are to be governed. The controversy concerns plans for a new “Program on Civic Virtue and Civil Discourse,” scheduled to begin in … Continue reading “UNC Board Steps Up to Defend Civil Discourse on Campus”

Free Speech: A Year in Review for UNC Campuses

Sep 2, 2019 · · No Comments on Free Speech: A Year in Review for UNC Campuses

Last year, the Martin Center released its first report on the state of free speech and institutional neutrality in the UNC system. The report serves two main purposes. The first is to measure how much of an effect the free speech law has had on the state’s public colleges and universities. The law, also known … Continue reading “Free Speech: A Year in Review for UNC Campuses”

The Key to Success for Young People Isn’t Always College

Aug 30, 2019 · · No Comments on The Key to Success for Young People Isn’t Always College

As young people worry about their futures, going to college isn’t necessarily their first step toward a good job. Entrepreneur Isaac Morehouse predicts the relevance of colleges, and the degrees they confer, will erode as employers increasingly look for workers with demonstrated, often self-taught job skills. “I think it will be a long, slow decline, … Continue reading “The Key to Success for Young People Isn’t Always College”

Did You Know? The Uneven Performance of UNC Education Schools

Aug 29, 2019 · · No Comments on Did You Know? The Uneven Performance of UNC Education Schools

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) rates teacher education programs on how well they teach different subjects such as science, social science, and content knowledge. As Shannon Watkins describes, most public North Carolina education programs do a poor job teaching the future educators of the state. And education schools at University of North Carolina … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Uneven Performance of UNC Education Schools”

Waiting for Reform: The Plans to Fix College Sports

Aug 26, 2019 · · No Comments on Waiting for Reform: The Plans to Fix College Sports

The public has lost faith in the NCAA and colleges to protect student-athletes. When surveying the numerous ideas for fixing college sports, it’s hard to make any other conclusion. Reform is by insiders and outsiders alike—even if it doesn’t happen. Demands for college athletics reform, however, aren’t rare in the history of college sports. A … Continue reading “Waiting for Reform: The Plans to Fix College Sports”

Donors Beware: College Officials Have Their Own Ideas About Using Your Money

Aug 23, 2019 · · No Comments on Donors Beware: College Officials Have Their Own Ideas About Using Your Money

It is quite common: A successful college alum decides to donate a large sum of his accumulated wealth to his alma mater, but wants the money to be used in a specific way. School officials want the money. They don’t, however, care for the conditions attached to it. What to do? The honorable course of … Continue reading “Donors Beware: College Officials Have Their Own Ideas About Using Your Money”

Did You Know? Administrative Expenditures in the UNC System Keep Climbing

Aug 22, 2019 · · No Comments on Did You Know? Administrative Expenditures in the UNC System Keep Climbing

Expenditures for institutional support in the UNC system have increased significantly: from $2,217 per student in 2006 to $4,069 per student in 2017. Adjusted for inflation, that’s nearly 50 percent growth in just 11 years. According to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “institutional support” expenditures include: [E]xpenses for general administrative services, central executive-level activities … Continue reading “Did You Know? Administrative Expenditures in the UNC System Keep Climbing”

Restoring a Great Intellectual Tradition to America’s Campuses

Aug 16, 2019 · · No Comments on Restoring a Great Intellectual Tradition to America’s Campuses

Americans used to relish good debates. The debates between Senator Stephen Douglas and his challenger Abraham Lincoln in 1858 were transcribed and widely read. Even though Lincoln lost the election, the quality of his arguments impressed so many people that he became the Republican Party’s nominee for president just two years later. College campuses are … Continue reading “Restoring a Great Intellectual Tradition to America’s Campuses”