Free Republic

Quite a few scholars have written in favor of developing new institutions of higher education, since most of our current ones have been captured by ideological activists. For example, in this Martin Center article, Robert Wright advocates a “parallel university system.” On that score, there is some good news—it’s happening. The Universidad de las Hespérides is a start-up, online, classical-liberal endeavor. It is an exciting exercise in academic entrepreneurship, combining virtual courses for students around the globe, a blend of synchronous and asynchronous classes, and rigorous scientific inquiry that is firmly based in an appreciation for the philosophical and institutional...

The university's VP of Academic Affairs said the changes will no longer 'mask' students' 'demonstrated abilities'.. An Oregon university announced they will abandon failing letter grades, citing a "GPA fixation" that negatively impacts students. Western Oregon University issued a news release earlier this month that revealed the school would be replacing "D-" and "F" grades with "no credit" to discourage undergrads from dropping out. ... The difference is that the grade of NC will not negatively impact student GPAs, ... the decision came after data from the university showed that 65% of freshman students who dropped out had earned at...

The average college student has average intelligence, concludes a meta-analysis by Canadian researchers, writes Ross Pomeroy on Big Think. In 1939, when only 10 percent of Americans enrolled in college, the average IQ was 119. By 2022, it's down to 102, not significantly above the average of 100. “The decline in students’ IQ is a necessary consequence of increasing educational attainment over the last 80 years,” the researchers wrote. “Today, graduating from university is more common than completing high school in the 1940s.” The “Flynn effect” -- a steady rise in IQs from 1940 onward -- has been well established,...

If nothing else, the barbarous attacks on Israel by the terror group Hamas exposed the morally vacuous viscera of much of American higher education. By now, we have all we need to know about the “decolonization” folks due to their brutish antics in our streets and on the campuses. In the Middle East, such people are the enemies of civilization. On the campuses, they are the friends of barbarism everywhere. How did primitivism make such a comeback in the face of logic, reason, science, progress, and humane values? Who are these people who exalt a barbaric anti-science, anti-progress, anti-civilization ethos...

I graduated from college in the 1980s. I took my bachelor’s degree in 2.5 years by taking overloads—up to 22 credits--every semester, and full loads every summer and interim session, as well as a number of correspondence courses from another university when I had to have a class that wasn’t offered when I needed it. At that state college, my education cost a bit less than $10,000. I was an adult, paying my own freight, and needed to get back into the workforce as quickly as possible. I took out no student loans. Tuition then was a fraction of current...

Five finalists are selected by a hiring committee for a tenure-track faculty position at a reputable regional university. The candidates are ranked based on skills and competencies. The top applicant is white. The second place is held by an Asian American and the third by an African American. Who do you think should get the job? In a merit-based system, the top-ranked individual should be hired. His or her race must not be factored in. Our laws, from the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to federal and state civil-rights statutes, dictate race neutrality. But in our present-day reality, wherein...

The Friday evening and Saturday morning shows for ABC, NBC, and CBS all ignored Friday’s 51st annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. where thousands turned out in the cold and the snow to protest the killing of the unborn. Friday’s NBC Nightly News was the worst offender because not only did they ignore pro-lifers, they actively promoted pro-abortion high schoolers. Host Lester Holt introduced the report, “Right now, millions of high school seniors are grappling with one of the biggest decisions of their lives, where to go to college. And as Savannah Sellers reports, there's one factor that’s taking...

Collective bargaining through a labor union is supposed to “level the playing field” for workers, enabling them to obtain better terms than if they bargained on their own. That is the justification for federal and state laws that give elected unions exclusive representation power, meaning that all of the workers must accept the union as their representative. Individuality is out. That arrangement is fine with many, but what if some workers are unhappy with “their” union? What if they don’t think the union operates in their interest? What if it makes public statements they disagree with? The unions reply, “Too...

The College Fix has done a series of articles recently estimating the number of administrators at various colleges compared to the number of students. The numbers are pretty surprising.The University of Virginia employs one full-time administrator for every three undergraduates at the school, according to an analysis conducted by The College Fix…During the 2013-14 school year, there were 291 full-time administrators and support staff employees per 1,000 undergrads, and in 2021-22, the most recent year for which data are available, there were 318 full-time administrators and support staff employees per 1,000 undergrads.Meanwhile, the number of full-time educators per 1,000 undergraduates...

Imagine you are an 18-year-old who struggled to finish high school. Shakespeare, calculus, European history—none of these played to your strengths. But you found your niche in art class, performing community service, or working with your hands. A four-year university is out of reach, yet, with a few more classes at a community college, you could make the jump to a university or be better prepared to enter the workforce. You arrive at junior college, ready to sign up for classes, and what’s on the list? “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 101.” At Wake Tech in Raleigh, N.C., the school’s “DEI...

Last year, I signed Freedom Conservatism’s “Statement of Principles,” a call to “apply the timeless principles of liberty to the challenges of the 21st century.” I did so primarily because I believe that individual liberty is essential to human flourishing, but also because I believe these principles can inform my work at the Martin Center to renew and fulfill the promise of higher education—in North Carolina and beyond. A commitment to liberty in higher education means a commitment to freedom of expression and conscience, academic freedom, viewpoint diversity, and a curriculum that prepares students to be future guardians of the...

President Joe Biden announced on Friday that his administration was canceling nearly $5 billion in student loans impacting nearly 74,000 borrowers. Most of the forgiveness goes to 44,000 borrowers who have spent more than 10 years in public service working as teachers, nurses, firefighters and other positions, while the remaining 30,000 are borrowers who have been in repayment for at least 20 years without receiving relief, the White House said.

Tallahassee, Fla., January 17, 2024 – Today, the State Board of Education implemented strict regulations to limit the use of public funds for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, activities, and policies in the Florida College System (FCS). The rule adopted by the Board defined, for the first time, DEI and affirmatively prohibits FCS institutions from using state or federal funds to administer programs that categorize individuals based on race or sex for the purpose of differential or preferential treatment. The Board's decision will ensure that taxpayer funds can no longer be used to promote DEI on Florida’s 28 state...

Here’s another good reason not to plunk down $126,584 (that’s the total for four years of tuition unless it goes up between now and 2027) to send your kid to Rutgers. Long considered to be one of America’s premier universities, the beloved alma mater of Mr. Magoo is now a sinkhole of woke indoctrination, with academic standards sinking lower than Old Joe Biden’s ethics. A professor at Rutgers Law School has lied openly in an academic paper and has refused to back down, knowing that she will face no consequences from an administration that is as corrupt and compromised as...

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) has unveiled $375 million in budget cuts, including cutting funding to firefighters, while at the same time rolling out college financial aid to illegal aliens. This week, Healey said her office will look to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the state’s budget to make up for a $1 billion shortfall for Fiscal Year 2024. As part of those budget cuts, cities and towns will lose out on millions in local fire department funding.

91% of small business owners are concerned that "educational institutions are fostering unrealistic expectations among students regarding post-graduation and professional life." An alarming number of small business owners are concerned that American colleges and universities are creating far-fetched expectations for graduates as they transition into the workforce, according to a new survey. The Freedom Economy Index, a project of Red Balloon and PublicSquare, surveyed over 70,000 small business owners and found that 91% of respondents are concerned that “educational institutions are fostering unrealistic expectations among students regarding post-graduation and professional life.” Small business owners who responded to the survey reported...

California’s higher-education system, beset by alarming acts of hate, intimidation, and bigotry on its campuses (e.g., anti-Israel and anti-Jewish protests), has launched a series of initiatives. Among them is an educational program that will present a “viewpoint-neutral history of the Middle East.” Many UC faculty oppose the plan and accuse UC president Michael Drake of an assault on their academic freedom. This raises important questions of principle: Is “viewpoint-neutral” history possible? Is it desirable? Opponents of the hegemonic, imperial American Left’s control of the education space have an almost instinctive recourse to slogans. As the Left increasingly uses the education...

On Wednesday, House Republicans moved forward with the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act, a measure that would help protect students who deal with unplanned pregnancies. The bill, introduced by Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), would mandate that colleges explain rights and accommodations to women who are pregnant to help them recognize that there is a way to both have a child and continue their education. The bill aims to counter leftists' rhetoric that abortion is the only way for a pregnant woman to succeed in school. That’s not true, and that’s what House Republicans are trying to emphasize. The bill indicates that...

Nick Saban is calling it a career. The longtime Alabama head coach told his team on Wednesday afternoon that he was retiring, according to ESPN's Chris Low.

Last spring, I co-led a working group at the University of Wyoming tasked with articulating the principles of freedom of expression, intellectual freedom, and constructive dialogue. In addition to describing these principles, we were charged with making recommendations for operationalizing, communicating, and practicing them on campus. This essay explains how we accomplished the task and the opportunities UW (or any university) has to implement some of our recommendations. The president of the university, Ed Seidel,ast spring, I co-led a working group at the University of Wyoming tasked with articulating the principles of freedom of expression, intellectual freedom, and constructive dialogue....