John William Pope Center Guest Editorial
The university system in the United States has accomplished a great deal of good, but we believe that higher education in the United States, including North Carolina, has strayed from its chief goals of scholarly inquiry and responsible teaching.
All too often, universities allow teaching to become shallow and trendy, failing to challenge students intellectually and disparaging traditional principles of justice, ethics, and liberal education. Students know little about the history of their country or the institutions that led to this nation’s prosperity and liberty. Students can get by without taking rigorous courses, and non-academic activities overshadow scholarship. As a result, many college graduates have poor skills in computation, communication, and logical analysis. Faculty are allowed excessive latitude in what they teach and often get away with little teaching at all, because research is emphasized. Taxpayers as well as students and their families pay hefty prices to support a system that often appears to provide little educational value.
To address these and other problems, the Pope Center conducts studies in areas such as governance, curriculum, financing, access, accountability, faculty research, and administrative policies. We explore ways to increase the accountability of trustees, administrators, faculty, and students. And we engage in the broader dialogue about how to improve higher education around the nation.
In these endeavors, we are motivated by the principles that have traditionally guided public policy in the United States: limits on government; freedom to pursue goals through voluntary means, both for-profit and nonprofit; accountability through private property rights; and the belief that competition is an excellent regulating force.
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Harvard president Larry Summers quickly became a former Harvard president after he made the mistake of offering some accurate but politically incorrect observations about women and math. Paul Tudor Jones, a billionaire hedge fund manager, large donor, and University of Virginia trustee...
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Harvard president Larry Summers quickly became a former Harvard president after he made the mistake of offering some accurate but politically incorrect observations about women and math. Paul Tudor Jones, a billionaire hedge fund manager, large donor, and University of Virginia trustee...
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One of the first things I remember about moving into UNC-Chapel Hill for my freshman year was the number of stereotypes thrown at me. I heard that only these types of people join this club, only these types of girls and guys join this sorority or fraternity, the only way to make...
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One of the first things I remember about moving into UNC-Chapel Hill for my freshman year was the number of stereotypes thrown at me. I heard that only these types of people join this club, only these types of girls and guys join this sorority or fraternity, the only way to make...
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The student loan crisis has been all over the headlines lately - $1 trillion in loans with a default rate that's high and getting higher. But direct grants, or scholarships, by the federal and state governments have just as big an effect on the world of higher education and on the nation.
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The student loan crisis has been all over the headlines lately - $1 trillion in loans with a default rate that's high and getting higher. But direct grants, or scholarships, by the federal and state governments have just as big an effect on the world of higher education and on the nation.
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If Neil Gross's analysis of the "why are professors liberal?" question is weak (as I argued here), his analysis of the "why do conservatives care?" question is appalling.
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If Neil Gross's analysis of the "why are professors liberal?" question is weak (as I argued here), his analysis of the "why do conservatives care?" question is appalling.
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Everyone knows a little about Chicago, MIT, and Harvard, but few know about the country's tribal colleges. They are fairly new; Congress authorized and funded them in 1978; most of today's thirty-five colleges got their start even more recently.
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Everyone knows a little about Chicago, MIT, and Harvard, but few know about the country's tribal colleges. They are fairly new; Congress authorized and funded them in 1978; most of today's thirty-five colleges got their start even more recently.
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Not long ago I criticized an introductory course in American government at North Carolina State University, as it was taught in an online section. The reason for my criticism: It was biased. Most of the non-textbook readings seemed to be...
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Not long ago I criticized an introductory course in American government at North Carolina State University, as it was taught in an online section. The reason for my criticism: It was biased. Most of the non-textbook readings seemed to be...
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Why is it that the great majority of college professors are liberal (i.e., hold mostly to "progressive," pro-state ideas about politics and economics) and why should conservatives be concerned that they are?
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Why is it that the great majority of college professors are liberal (i.e., hold mostly to "progressive," pro-state ideas about politics and economics) and why should conservatives be concerned that they are?
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It's been over 30 years since I finished my college education, where I majored in health-related fields. I found satisfaction in pursuing a long-held interest in medical science and saw how degrees in these areas were almost a guarantee of stable employment.
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It's been over 30 years since I finished my college education, where I majored in health-related fields. I found satisfaction in pursuing a long-held interest in medical science and saw how degrees in these areas were almost a guarantee of stable employment.
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How I do marvel at the credulity of academic man! Especially those professors who publish voluminously but cannot write, who take their Marx with white wine and brie while thousands of adjuncts support their families on French fries and English composition, who preach a tolerance as...
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How I do marvel at the credulity of academic man! Especially those professors who publish voluminously but cannot write, who take their Marx with white wine and brie while thousands of adjuncts support their families on French fries and English composition, who preach a tolerance as...
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A storm is brewing over "The Boundaries of Science," a course taught at Ball State University by physics and astronomy professor Eric Hedin. The course's professed intention is to present a balanced and fair consideration of the relationship and tension between religion and science.
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A storm is brewing over "The Boundaries of Science," a course taught at Ball State University by physics and astronomy professor Eric Hedin. The course's professed intention is to present a balanced and fair consideration of the relationship and tension between religion and science.
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I was a successful student in high school. I was one of the top students in my class, and I took multiple Advance Placement courses. I knew that my hard work had helped me form strong studying techniques. After four years in the North Carolina public high school system, I was looking forward to...
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I was a successful student in high school. I was one of the top students in my class, and I took multiple Advance Placement courses. I knew that my hard work had helped me form strong studying techniques. After four years in the North Carolina public high school system, I was looking forward to...
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A year ago, Duke Cheston of the Pope Center criticized a class in political science at North Carolina State University. Because its presentation of the American political system was clearly biased, his story was titled "Evil Republicans 101." Now we have come across another section of the same...
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A year ago, Duke Cheston of the Pope Center criticized a class in political science at North Carolina State University. Because its presentation of the American political system was clearly biased, his story was titled "Evil Republicans 101." Now we have come across another section of the same...
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It’s official: the federal Departments of Justice and Education have joined together to put an end to free speech on America’s campuses. This is not an exaggeration—those government agencies are trying to grab our most basic freedom under the cover of preventing sexual harassment.
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It’s official: the federal Departments of Justice and Education have joined together to put an end to free speech on America’s campuses. This is not an exaggeration—those government agencies are trying to grab our most basic freedom under the cover of preventing sexual harassment.
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Last year, many North Carolina colleges and universities invited politicians to be keynote speakers during their commencement ceremonies. This year the focus was on speakers who made it big in the technology industry, plus some academics and celebrities from television news.
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Last year, many North Carolina colleges and universities invited politicians to be keynote speakers during their commencement ceremonies. This year the focus was on speakers who made it big in the technology industry, plus some academics and celebrities from television news.
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Sustainability is second only to diversity as the most used word in the campus lexicon. While its meaning is vague and its scope unclear, the underlying idea is that you care about the environment and that you are consuming no more energy than you need.
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Sustainability is second only to diversity as the most used word in the campus lexicon. While its meaning is vague and its scope unclear, the underlying idea is that you care about the environment and that you are consuming no more energy than you need.
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I cross the border under cover of night and slip into the foreign capital. In my trench coat and hat, I hope to complete my mission unrecognized. On the icy river, lights twinkle from the distant hotel. I hesitate a moment, but walk on; there is no turning back. I will execute my mission.
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I cross the border under cover of night and slip into the foreign capital. In my trench coat and hat, I hope to complete my mission unrecognized. On the icy river, lights twinkle from the distant hotel. I hesitate a moment, but walk on; there is no turning back. I will execute my mission.
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With the national economy still locked in the doldrums, states must continue to pull back on funding public university systems. The universities, in return, have two alternatives: they can raise tuition or cut costs. Most often, they do both.
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With the national economy still locked in the doldrums, states must continue to pull back on funding public university systems. The universities, in return, have two alternatives: they can raise tuition or cut costs. Most often, they do both.
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More and more college-age students are taking community college classes before transferring to four-year universities. They can save money (community college tuition is a fraction of four-year school tuition), gain maturity, and maybe even bring up their grades enough to...
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More and more college-age students are taking community college classes before transferring to four-year universities. They can save money (community college tuition is a fraction of four-year school tuition), gain maturity, and maybe even bring up their grades enough to...
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Today’s college freshmen can be trained to write well—and in one semester. I will describe one way it can be done.
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Today’s college freshmen can be trained to write well—and in one semester. I will describe one way it can be done.
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This story is a tangled mess that recently made national news. But it belongs to a large genre, familiar to the first author from his years as dean of Harvard College.
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This story is a tangled mess that recently made national news. But it belongs to a large genre, familiar to the first author from his years as dean of Harvard College.
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I started my college experience while working full-time as a systems/network administrator in Anchorage, Alaska, where I was born and raised. This came about because, while in high school, I developed an interest in building and programming computers. I became skilled enough to...
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I started my college experience while working full-time as a systems/network administrator in Anchorage, Alaska, where I was born and raised. This came about because, while in high school, I developed an interest in building and programming computers. I became skilled enough to...
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State flagship universities have an image problem. They want people to think of them as places where students are dedicated to their studies, but can also have some fun.
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State flagship universities have an image problem. They want people to think of them as places where students are dedicated to their studies, but can also have some fun.
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College graduation rates—particularly four-year rates— are low, both nationwide and in the UNC system. So many factors contribute to the low rates (students’ poor preparation, their need to earn money by working, lack of interest, schools’ failure to provide the right...
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College graduation rates—particularly four-year rates— are low, both nationwide and in the UNC system. So many factors contribute to the low rates (students’ poor preparation, their need to earn money by working, lack of interest, schools’ failure to provide the right...
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There is no greater asset for a graduate than the ability to write and communicate.
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There is no greater asset for a graduate than the ability to write and communicate.
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The "everyone should go to college" belief is coming under more and more criticism. One of the critics is Dale Stephens, the founder of UnCollege. His book Hacking Your Education: Ditch the Lectures, Save Tens of Thousands, and Learn More than Your Peers Ever Will has been published...
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The "everyone should go to college" belief is coming under more and more criticism. One of the critics is Dale Stephens, the founder of UnCollege. His book Hacking Your Education: Ditch the Lectures, Save Tens of Thousands, and Learn More than Your Peers Ever Will has been published...
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An Old West-style conflict in Texas pits the higher education and political establishments against the reform movement.
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An Old West-style conflict in Texas pits the higher education and political establishments against the reform movement.
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“Fascists,” “bums,” and “killing machines.” That’s how conservatives and Republicans were described at the initial meeting of a new organization of faculty members in North Carolina. The group, named “Scholars for a Progressive North Carolina,” was formed in response to...
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“Fascists,” “bums,” and “killing machines.” That’s how conservatives and Republicans were described at the initial meeting of a new organization of faculty members in North Carolina. The group, named “Scholars for a Progressive North Carolina,” was formed in response to...
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Last year’s most important book about higher education, Academically Adrift, showed that a high percentage of American college students coast through without learning much. One reason is that many of them cheat.
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Last year’s most important book about higher education, Academically Adrift, showed that a high percentage of American college students coast through without learning much. One reason is that many of them cheat.
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I admit that I was stunned by the appointment of Carol Folt as chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill. It’s hard to believe that someone who has spent her entire career at Dartmouth, a relatively small (4,200 students) Ivy League college, can navigate the shoals of a large...
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I admit that I was stunned by the appointment of Carol Folt as chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill. It’s hard to believe that someone who has spent her entire career at Dartmouth, a relatively small (4,200 students) Ivy League college, can navigate the shoals of a large...
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On July 1, sixteen new members will join the UNC Board of Governors. The newcomers are almost all Republicans, and thus might be expected to be conservative about expenses, but will they reform the system?
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On July 1, sixteen new members will join the UNC Board of Governors. The newcomers are almost all Republicans, and thus might be expected to be conservative about expenses, but will they reform the system?
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It is time to open up North Carolina’s government operations to the public view. The North Carolina legislature has a great opportunity this year to make state and local governments more ethical and efficient.
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It is time to open up North Carolina’s government operations to the public view. The North Carolina legislature has a great opportunity this year to make state and local governments more ethical and efficient.
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Colleges and universities must adopt College 2020 if they want to remain in the game, says Vance Fried.
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Colleges and universities must adopt College 2020 if they want to remain in the game, says Vance Fried.
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Shortly after clocks were introduced to Japan in the sixteenth century, Japanese inventors used the principles underlying the clock’s movements to create robots.
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Shortly after clocks were introduced to Japan in the sixteenth century, Japanese inventors used the principles underlying the clock’s movements to create robots.
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When commentator John Stossel was at ABC News, he said that talking to his colleagues about their bias was like talking to fish about water--"What water? It's just...
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When commentator John Stossel was at ABC News, he said that talking to his colleagues about their bias was like talking to fish about water--"What water? It's just...
