Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on July 12, 2025. The Observatory translated it into English from French. I have edited it, to the best of my ability, to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. This text is a look back at […]
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I flatter myself that I’m a pretty good teacher. I’ve been doing it for 40 years, so it stands to reason I’ve developed some skill. Ratings and comments from students tend to bear this out. They occasionally complain that I talk too much—probably true—or that I’m a “tough grader”—doubtful—but for the most part, my student […]
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Is affirmative action based on political identity the solution to liberal bias in higher education? Most liberals tend not to think so, nor do those who identify themselves as center-right. What has prompted this rare moment of political alignment in higher education? The Trump administration has engaged in legal battles with a number of top […]
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The Trump War on Science™ delivered a new body blow. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) put out new guidance for researchers applying for grant funding. From September, proposals for new and ongoing research projects would be scrutinized for inordinate use of AI tools like ChatGPT in writing the proposals. Even worse, the NIH would […]
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Students using artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to cheat is a real concern. Consider the new Cluely AI tool: With the help of Cluely AI, students can now Cheat on Everything—even live exams—without ever lifting a finger. A tiny Bluetooth earpiece stays hidden, while the student’s phone remains tucked away in a pocket or bag, quietly running […]
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Montgomery Toms is not your average 20-year-old. In an age when conformity is celebrated and silence is often the safest path, Toms has chosen resistance. Since the age of fourteen, he has been a vocal opponent of authoritarianism in all its modern forms—from government overreach to the cultural mandates of political correctness. He has marched […]
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American education has one job: to educate. And it’s flunking. Probably no one would dispute that. From collapsing K–12 literacy rates to bloated, ideologically driven university curricula, the U.S. is producing a generation of poorly educated—often outright uneducated—citizens. Plenty of blame has rightly landed on K–12 schools and universities. But there’s another player quietly contributing […]
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One of my staff members in Southern California emailed me last night to check whether our New York–based National Association of Scholars staff were safe after the horrific Midtown Manhattan shooting. Yes, I told him, we’re fine. Millions of us New Yorkers were physically unscathed by Shane D. Tamura’s rampage with a rifle, in which […]
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The Japanese government aims to enhance the international competitiveness of its higher education system. Universities, junior colleges, and other professional schools are expected to be able to accept more international students starting next fiscal year. However, the topic of international students is becoming an increasingly contentious issue in Japan. Some of Japan’s non-competitive, for-profit universities […]
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On June 18, Marva Johnson, J.D., was confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors as Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University’s (FAMU) 13th president. Chosen to lead one of the nation’s premier Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Johnson has become the center of a heated debate following concerns about her qualifications, leadership, and connections to […]
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Editor’s Note: The following is a response to Jared Gould’s recent piece, “Welcome to the Unemployment Line, Graduate.” The author—a retired scientist and former recruiter for engineering and research roles in the U.S., Europe, and China—offers a critical perspective on the current higher education model and shares a more optimistic view of how young people […]
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Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by RealClear Education on July 25, 2025. It is crossposted here with permission. College presidencies turn over quickly. The American Council on Education (ACE) says the average tenure is now less than six years, a decline from 2006, when the rascals hung around for nine years on average. I’m […]
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A striking new Gallup poll reveals a sobering truth: just 58 percent of Americans describe themselves as “extremely” or “very” proud to be American—the lowest level since the question was first posed in 2001. The decline is sharpest among two groups long seen as pillars of our civic and cultural institutions: young Americans and Democrats. […]
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Should we measure and scale anti-Semitism? Do we really need to know whether Harvard is the most anti-Semitic college in the United States or whether Egypt ranks number one in the Middle East—or is it Jordan? Anyone can see that those places are steeped in Jew-hatred, regardless of who “wins” the competition. The Netherlands records […]
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Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by the National Association of Scholars on July 25, 2025. It is crossposted here with permission. Marilyn Penn, wife of attorney, art collector, and eclectic investor Arthur Penn, passed away on July 20, at age 84. Marilyn was an important figure in the history of the National Association of Scholars […]
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Columbia University’s recent civil rights settlement with the federal government is a watershed moment—but not for the reasons its defenders suggest. It marks the first time in recent memory that an Ivy League institution has been held accountable for allowing open hostility toward Jewish students and faculty. The fact that it took federal intervention—not moral […]
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I imagine that many instructors experiment with artificial intelligence (AI). Perhaps to create or modify a syllabus. Perhaps to create writing assignments. Tests. Collaborative assignments that are part student, part AI. Other instructors are still in the resistance. All told, we find ourselves in a transitional period with this new stage of AI’s development and […]
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In this 2008 lecture at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, economist Walter Block delivers a defense of libertarian philosophy. He outlines its core principles—the non-aggression axiom and private property rights rooted in homesteading—and applies them to various controversial issues, including blackmail, libel, insider trading, incitement, antitrust, hostile takeovers, the exclusionary rule, affirmative action, unions, […]
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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by the American Spectator on July 22, 2025. With edits to match MTC’s style guidelines, it is crossposted here with permission. Medical schools hold the weighty responsibility of deciding who can become a doctor. So one would hope that they would approach this task with the goal of selecting […]
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Two important legal cases, one in Australia and the other in the United Kingdom, may soon influence how American courts and policymakers address a central question in today’s culture war: What is a woman? Both cases examine whether women and girls have the legal right to female-only spaces. One involves a digital platform, while the […]
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Higher education is navigating a significant demographic evolution. The once predominant “traditional” student is now part of a broader, more complex picture known as the “New Majority learner.” This diverse cohort is not an outlier but rather a core component of our academic communities. For institutions committed to meaningful reform and fostering student success, understanding […]
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Author’s Note: This article is from my weekly “Top of Mind” email, sent to subscribers every Thursday. For more content like this and to receive the full newsletter each week, enter your name and email under “SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER, ‘TOP OF MIND,’” located on the right-hand side of the site. On a recent […]
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