Category: Education (higher ed)
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The VMI Contract: Why the Rush?
by James A. Bacon Last November 5, the Commonwealth of Virginia issued an RFP for a contract to investigate racism at the Virginia Military Institute. The document set an ambitious deadline. Responses were due November 17 — giving vendors less than two weeks to prepare submissions. Moreover, the document wanted the successful bidder to provide…
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UVa Board Ponders 3.1% Hike in Tuition & Fees
by James A. Bacon The University of Virginia Board of Visitors is considering raising in-state undergraduate tuition up to 3.1% next year and hiking student fees by $114. The increases potentially would add $554 to tuition and fees next year, bringing the total to $17,860, reports the Daily Progress. Including room, board, books and other…
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The Democratic Coalition’s Conflicts of Interest Cause Much Political Scrambling
by James C. Sherlock It is tough to be a Democratic politician in Richmond or Washington. Now that they govern, they find it one big game of coalition whack-a-mole. I have written today of the conflicts between the interests of teachers unions and those of parents playing out in the Virginia General Assembly. That vital…
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UVa Committee to Study Free Expression Issues
by James A. Bacon The University of Virginia has created two new committees: one to articulate the university’s commitment to free expression and inquiry, and another to examine naming and memorials on the grounds (as the UVa campus is referred to). “We are working to give voice to our commitment as an educational institution to…
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Fixing the Outcome by Fixing the Rules?
by James A. Bacon What are the rules of the game in the state’s investigation of racism at the Virginia Military Institute? That question is now front and center, as has been revealed in an interim report released by Barnes & Thornburg, the law firm selected to pursue the investigation. Investigators have been sparring over…
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VMI, Investigators Sparring Over Rules of Racism Investigation
by James A. Bacon Barnes & Thornburg LLP, the special investigator selected to probe racism at Virginia Military Institute, released its first progress report today, as required by contract. The law firm has not had enough time to draw any conclusions, but the report does describe the testy relationship between the firm and VMI administrators…
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WaPo Ratchets Up Assault on VMI
by James A. Bacon After accusing the Virginia Military Institute of maintaining an environment of “relentless racism” and implying that VMI’s commandant is a racist, The Washington Post now is targeting the military academy’s honor code as archaic, excessively harsh, and discriminatory against minorities. The latest headline: “VMI, under fire for expelling Black cadets, considers changes…
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General Assembly to Students on Mandatory Athletic Fees: Suck It Up, Peons
by James A. Bacon A bill that would make optional the paying of athletic fees at public Virginia universities died in a state Senate subcommittee Monday. Virginia universities charge some of the highest athletic fees in the country. According to a 2020 report by NBC News, Virginia Military led the nation with a $3,650 fee.…
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Propagandizing Doth Not A Happy Historian Make
by Jock Yellott “Do you agree or disagree that college faculty are contaminating history with politics and producing closed minded, unscientific and illogical propaganda?” Dr. Ed Ayers, former president of the University of Richmond, a former Dean of Arts and Sciences at U Va, and among Virginia’s most accomplished and respected living historians, was…
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Positive Developments in Freedom of Expression at UVa
by James C. Sherlock I am an alumnus of the University of Virginia and have been one of the most prominent public critics for its drift into left-wing ideology at the expense of academic freedom and the best interests of its students. University of Chicago Principles I have recommended both publicly and privately that my…
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There Is a God and He Has a Sense of Humor
by James C. Sherlock The Left won control of government in the most recent elections nationally and in Virginia. Elections indeed have consequences. The focus on race instead of class by the newly victorious left will have major consequences here. A combination of (1) Biden policies requiring antiracism training for federal workers and contractors; and (2) state…
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Restructuring Higher Ed for Greater Produktivität
by James A. Bacon Last month the University of Virginia Board of Visitors approved a recommendation to eliminate the M.A. and PhD programs in the Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures. While UVa students retained a healthy appetite for learning to read and speak in German, only a few showed an interest in plumbing the…
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Democrats Propose Expanded Virginia Government Personal Information Collection, Integration and Dissemination
by James C. Sherlock There are few things the Left desires more than government access to personal data on every citizen and everything he or she does. Virginia continues down that path. Government Data Collection & Dissemination Practices Act Chapter 38 of Title 2.2 of the Code of Virginia (§ 2.2-3800 et seq.) reads in…
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General Assembly Education Bills – What is Missing?
by James C. Sherlock This is one of a series of regular a weekly updates on bills in the 2021 General Assembly that will affect education. I will discuss some the newly filed education bills tomorrow. After that, health care and health insurance. What is missing so far in educational legislation is more important than…
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Open Letter to the W&L Board and Community
The Generals Redoubt, a group of Washington and Lee University alumni, have published this open letter. The document explores major themes of interest to Bacon’s Rebellion readers, and we reproduce an abridged version here. — JAB Introduction As the Washington and Lee Board of Trustees considers changing the name of the university, The Generals Redoubt…