Category: higher education

On Sterile Progressive Teaching Strategies: Second Thoughts About ‘Critical Thinking’

Commentary Today, regardless of partisanship, the idea that schools should teach “critical thinking” or how to think over what to think, wins general approval. The theory that “critical thinking” enables students to pursue dispassionate studies and arrive at rational independent conclusions is something that most people find naturally appealing. Progressive educators have touted the value…


UK Professor Forced to Resign by Transgender Activists Joins New US University

A British academic who was forced to resign after being harassed by transgender activists has now joined a newly-launched U.S. university dedicated to the “fearless pursuit of truth.” Kathleen Stock, a philosophy professor at the University of Sussex, announced on Oct. 28 her decision to leave the university after having a “horrible time” fending off…


Intellectual Dissidents Launch New University of Austin Dedicated to ‘Fearless Pursuit of Truth’

A group of intellectuals who have faced hostility for expressing their ideas are building their own institution of higher education in Austin, Texas, saying that they can no longer wait for the legacy universities to address the pervasive intolerance on campuses. “We are done waiting for the legacy universities to right themselves. And so we…


GOP Senators Introduce Bill to Crack Down on ‘Foreign Influence Operations’ at US Colleges

Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) on Tuesday introduced legislation targeting gifts and donations to American colleges and universities that come from foreign adversaries like China, in a bid to blunt the impact of “foreign influence operations.” The bill, called the Greater Insight into Foreign Transactions (GIFTs) in Higher Education Act (pdf), seeks greater…


Students Will Pay the Price for University of California’s Financial Missteps

Commentary The Board of Regents of the University of California (UC) recently voted to raise the tuition of students every year for the next five years. So many of Orange County’s parents would love to see their children attend one of this system’s nine excellent campuses. Our community has been blessed in many ways by…


University of California Students and Staff Must Be Vaccinated Before Returning to Campus

Staff and students at the University of California (UC) must be fully inoculated in order to return to campus this fall, the university system recently announced. The move differs from the institution’s position in April, when it said it would only require vaccinations if one of the vaccines received full authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, given that…


The Higher Education Bubble Has Popped

Commentary The higher education bubble has been rapidly inflating, threatening to pop at any moment. Over the past several decades, our culture has tipped the scales from praising and valuing education to downright socially mandating it. As a result, enrollment has skyrocketed to levels never before seen. While broadening access to higher education is, of…


Defund the Universities

Commentary The left’s slogan “Defund the police” makes no sense. It doesn’t follow from the injustice perpetrated on George Floyd. The natural inference from that incident is to hold accountable that particular policeman, together with any of his accomplices. But nothing more follows from that, least of all that all police departments are systematically bigoted…


Cal State Fullerton Receives Historic $40 Million Donation  

In a surprise announcement, billionaire MacKenzie Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett, announced June 15 that they were donating more than $2.74 billion to 286 different organizations throughout the country including a $40 million donation to California State University–Fullerton (CSUF). Scott’s fortune has been estimated by Forbes to be approximately $60 billion, with a four…


Top House Republicans Demand Answers From Biden Admin on CCP Influence in Higher Education

Two House Republican leaders are asking the Biden administration whether it has a plan to investigate China’s financial ties with American colleges and universities and counter the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) economic influence in higher education. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), the top Republican on the House Education Committee, and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who chairs…