Breaking into Colgate's Inner Circle
To strengthen oversight, “A Better Colgate” presses for direct alumni election of some trustees.
By George Leef
People who are familiar with higher education in America know that most college leaders are obsessed with raising money rather than spending it well (as a new Pope Center paper shows). They also know that college trustees are usually content to give them a free hand.
Weak oversight has had bad consequences. Many college alumni hardly recognize their schools these days. . .
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All the Wrong Incentives
A new Pope Center paper says the cost of college keeps rising because there's no reason for administrators to be thrifty.
By George Leef
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Progressives Living in the Past
A book by AAUP insiders seeks long-discredited solutions to non-problems.
By Jay Schalin
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The Revenue-to-Cost Spiral in Higher Education
The cost of higher education has been rising rapidly. This paper by Robert E. Martin explains why. The cause is the incentives inherent in the nature of higher education. Higher education is a nonprofit sector; profit and even clear ownership are missing. Martin compares higher education with the broader profit-seeking economy, where costs must be controlled if firms are to survive. He finds that higher education, due to its nonprofit nature and its focus on creating reputation, spends just about all the money it gets, avoiding cost control.
Academic Freedom
Today's university is rife with competing claims about academic freedom. Although it is similar to the freedom of speech that all Americans enjoy, academic freedom has developed into a more specific guarantee for scholars and teachers. This new paper by Donald Downs, professor of political science, law, and journalism at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, explains what is meant by the term and to whom it applies. Griggs v. Duke Power
This paper by Bryan O’Keefe and Richard Vedder raises a provocative question. Does the increase in college enrollment over the past 30 years partly reflect the changing pressures on employers based on a 1971 Supreme Court decision? And if so, could these pressures also explain the much-touted increase in earnings that comes from a college education?
O’Keefe and Vedder explore the impact of the Griggs v. Duke Power decision on today’s college enrollment. In Griggs, the plaintiffs argued that Duke Power’s reliance on two aptitude tests discriminated against minority groups. Subsequent cases and statutory law have changed the environment for employer testing. This may have changed the pressure to attend college.
The paper is jointly published by the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.
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Higher Education Headlines
North Carolina
UNCG Drive Hits $115 Million
UNC-Greensboro fund-raising campaign ends well beyond the $78 million goal set in 2004. In the Greensboro News-Record. No Settlement for Easley
N.C. State is highly unlikely to make a settlement with Mary Easley following her termination appeal. In the Raleigh News & Observer. From Institute to School
Duke upgrades the status of the Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke. In the Durham Herald-Sun. National
Too Much Diversity at the Naval Academy?
An English professor at Annapolis says that the academy is reducing quality by using a two-tier admissions system to achieve diversity. In the Washington Post. Churchill in the Balance
Judge will decide this week whether to require the University of Colorado to re-hire Ward Churchill. In the Denver Post. Penn State Defends Status
University officials challenge the governor’s withholding of stimulus money after claims the school is not a “fully public university.” From Inside Higher Ed.
Opinion
More on Truth v. Kent
David French discusses the case, which the Supreme Court will not review, requiring Christian school groups to accept non-believers. On Phi Beta Cons. Temple Strays From Roots
An English professor laments the loss of liberal education at Temple University. An opinion in the National Association of Scholars. Flunking the Education Schools
A Minding the Campus opinion says that NCATE, the accrediting agency for education schools, has finally figured out that teachers are getting a poor education. |
