Category: Education (higher ed)
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Who Holds the UVa Alumni Association Accountable?
by Walter Smith Who owns the University of Virginia? The answer is clear: as an agency of the state government, UVa is owned by the citizens of Virginia. The governor appoints the members of its governing board, the General Assembly allots a significant percentage of its budget, and, although it has been granted considerable autonomy,…
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A “Best Universities” Ranking Virginians Can Be Proud Of
by James A. Bacon There are multiple college rankings these days. Results vary widely based upon the criteria used to rate the institutions: prestige, social justice, affordability, and the like. Money magazine uses 24 factors reflecting upon the quality of the education, the cost of the education (net price after adjusting for financial aid), and…
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VCU Circular Firing Squad: Nazis, Terrorists and Racists
by James A. Bacon There’s a whole lot of crazy going on at Virginia Commonwealth University right now, and, not surprisingly, former Governor L. Douglas Wilder is in the center of it. Between the accusations of racism and alleged threats to physical safety, the controversy is a window into the demented rhetoric inside higher education…
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Why Not Virginia for Semiconductor Manufacturing Expansion?
by James C. Sherlock Among the things that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has made clear is the vulnerability of Taiwan and with it, the access of the U.S. economy to the 90% of advanced computer chips manufactured there. The national security requirement for domestic chip manufacturing brings opportunity. It is the nation’s most urgent…
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Diverse Opinions in Higher Ed
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Those commenters on this blog who are always decrying the dominance of liberal ideas and the quashing of conservative viewpoints in Virginia’s higher ed institutions need to broaden their horizon beyond the University of Virginia. As reported by The Washington Post, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito spoke yesterday to a crowd…
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Youngkin’s Education Agenda — Raise Standards, Pursue Excellence, Help Those Who Need It
by James A. Bacon Former Governor George Allen likes to say that the best social program is a job. One might suggest that a corollary to this proposition is that the best way for Virginia’s public school system to advance “social justice” is giving students the skills they need to get quality jobs in…
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How Partisan Bias Affects Law School Rankings
by James A. Bacon Virginia is known for the number and quality of its law schools. Eight law schools are located in the state, making almost one for every 1.1. million residents. Nationally, there are 192 law schools for 330 million people, or roughly one for every 1.6 million. Woohoo, we have lawyers out the…
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Peay’s Service at VMI Honored
by James A. Bacon A year and a half after he was forced into resigning amidst allegations of “relentless racism” at the institution he ran for 17 years, J.H. Binford Peay III, has been honored by the VMI Board of Visitors. The board bestowed upon him the title of superintendent emeritus and ordered that a…
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Miyares Names Iler as UVa’s University Counsel
by James A. Bacon Attorney General Jason Miyares has selected Clifton M. Iler as the University Counsel for the University of Virginia. As the university’s lead attorney, he will supervise a team of nine other attorneys, including three for the health system. The press releasing announcing the appointment stressed Iler’s experience in higher-education and healthcare…
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JMU: Where Not Only Are You Wrong, But How Dare You Ask?
by James A. Bacon Western Civilization went more than 2,000 years with people dividing the world between male and female. About 10 years ago, the idea gained traction in the United States that gender wasn’t based on biology — XX and XY chromosomes — but was a social construct. Within an extraordinarily short time, transgender…
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Dissident Alumni Open a New Front in the Higher-Ed Culture Wars
by James A. Bacon A Saturday meeting of the VMI Alumni Association, convened to elect a new board of directors, broke up in acrimony and confusion. In a series of votes, dissident alumni voted to remove the existing board and replace it with a hybrid slate comprised of some old board members and some new.…
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The General Assembly Adds New Requirements for Teachers that Virginia Schools Do Not Have and Cannot Hire
by James C. Sherlock A tip of the hat to Dick Hall-Sizemore for pointing out the following bills. I have written often on how Virginia is constantly loading up teachers and schools with additional reports and requirements. This General Assembly is trying to add new requirements for teachers that we do not have and have…
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Richmond University Cancels Douglas Southall Freeman
by Phil Leigh The University of Richmond is “canceling” one of its most distinguished graduates, Douglas Southall Freeman (1886 – 1953). Specifically, they are dropping his name from Mitchell-Freeman Hall. After leaving Richmond University to earn a PhD at Johns Hopkins, Freeman returned to Virginia’s capital where he joined the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 1909 and,…
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UVa Has Issues, But At Least It Is Not Yale
by James A. Bacon On March 10 the Federalist Society, a group promoting conservative/libertarian principles in law schools, hosted a panel discussion at Yale Law about freedom of religion and speech. About 120 student protesters descended upon the event, shouted down the speakers, and then, after repeated warnings, continued their noisy demonstration in the hallway.…
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UVa, Defend Your Women!
Letter to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors from Walter Smith. Now that International Transgender Day of Visibility is behind us, it is safe to discuss your lack of visibility in the matter regarding UVa student Emma Weyant, who, in the world where reality and truth are valued, is the true women’s NCAA 500…