The ungated version is here. Intro: “Universities are protesting the Trump administration’s plan to limit the overhead, also known as indirect costs, covered by federal research grants. They argue this change violates a long-standing post-World War II agreement, rooted in Vannevar Bush’s 1945 report “Science, The Endless Frontier.” That agreement was simple: The federal government would...
New book on cancelled professors, with a chapter by yours truly, just released.
My chapter is titled “I Called an Academic Conference a ‘Woke Joke’ and Ignited a Firestorm.”
My op-ed on student debt just published by RealClearEducation
The title is How to Resolve the Student Loan Debt Crisis Without a Bailout, here is the first paragraph: Under the Biden administration, student loan debt was treated as an urgent national crisis, with sweeping forgiveness proposals dominating headlines. Now, under Trump, the issue has largely faded from the political landscape—raising an important question: Was it ever a crisis to begin with...
Just won the first battle in my fight against DEI at NC State
Two weeks ago, I filed a complaint citing four violations of the UNC System’s policies on institutional neutrality and the ban on compelled speech. The university has now conceded on all four three out of four counts—but they’re saying as little as possible about it. Violation 1: Promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in university and college strategic plans This is by far the most...
U Penn becomes sixth Ivy League school to require SAT/ACT
That’s six out of eight now – 75%. Higher education tends to be highly emulative. How long before other universities and colleges abandon their test-optional policies altogether? This is also a significant win for those concerned about discrimination against Asians in college admissions. Without standardized test scores from all applicants, proving discrimination becomes nearly...
Fighting for Women’s Sports: My Title IX Complaint Against NC State
I’m not your typical Republican. I’m a lifelong atheist who has supported same-sex marriage for nearly four decades. Because of that, I have no issue with trans people. If a guy experiences gender dysphoria and finds that wearing makeup and a dress helps, hey, more power to him (or her, depending on your perspective). However, I do take issue when that same guy competes in women’s sports. My wife...
I’ve declared war on DEI at NC State
My opening salvo is an op-ed in National Review (non-paywalled link), where I outline how NC State is violating UNC System Board of Governors policies on institutional neutrality and compelled speech. Enacted in 2023, these policies marked a significant victory for intellectual freedom in North Carolina’s public universities. The institutional neutrality policy states that no public university...
Big win for intellectual freedom: UNC System drops diversity course requirement
Wow! I certainly did not expect this: The University of North Carolina System is no longer requiring students to take courses focused on diversity, equity or inclusion as a condition of graduation, the system’s top lawyer told chancellors of system universities in a memo. The move is a response to a Jan. 21 executive order issued by President Donald Trump that seeks to eliminate diversity, equity...
Iwo Jima at UNC Chapel Hill
One of the comments said “How do I pay for their next kegger?” Turns out there is an epic GoFundMe called Pi Kappa Phi Men Defended their Flag. Throw ’em a Rager; it’s already at $50K and climbing. Here is the description: Commie losers across the country have invaded college campuses to make dumb demands of weak University Administrators. But amidst the chaos, the...
How not to deal with pronouns as a professor
Apparently the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education launched a civil rights investigation at Taft College due to “misgendering”. What horrific events spurred the investigation? The student’s professors tried to use the plural pronouns but didn’t always succeed. It is understandably difficult for someone delivering collegiate-level instruction to remember to refer...