Category: Education (higher ed)
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UVa’s “Community Crisis Resources” for Israel/Hamas War Tensions on Campus Has Strange Players
by James C. Sherlock The University of Virginia has not lost all sense of perspective. They know exactly what they have been doing. For this they had to try to thread a needle. They missed. From the University of Virginia Division of Student Affairs: “Our Division’s focus remains on supporting and caring for our students…
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Poor Test Results No Problem If You Ignore Them
By Nancy Almasi There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns had a real and persistent impact on our children’s education. Learning loss continues to be the subject of daily news reports, with SAT and ACT test scores at an all-time low. Overall, math and reading scores on standardized tests are at…
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Virginia Must Investigate and Control the Relationships of Its State Institutions of Higher Learning With the Government of China
by James C. Sherlock The title of this article seems at first glance axiomatic. After all, the power “to conduct … all intercourse with other and foreign states” is granted in the state constitution to the Governor. Yet that power has been assumed by some Virginia state institutions of higher education (IHEs) with the apparent approval…
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William and Mary and the Chinese Communist Party – Dangerous Allies – Part 3
by James C. Sherlock Chinese fighter and U.S. jet over South China Sea. Courtesy CNN and YouTube. William and Mary’s superb AidData program makes major contributions to America’s understanding of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). The school is justly proud of it. AidData published in December of 2021 a study Corridors of Power –…
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Three Ideas for Protecting Civil Dialogue at UVa
by James A. Bacon On Oct. 11, 2023, journalist Abigail Shrier engaged in a Q&A session at the University of Virginia discussing the transgender movement in the United States. Offended by her views, transgender militants and their allies sabotaged attendance of the event, abrogated an agreement with university authorities restricting where to hold their protest,…
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William and Mary and the Chinese Communist Party – Dangerous Allies – Part 2
by James C. Sherlock The College of William and Mary first contracted with the Chinese Ministry of Education’s Confucius Institute (CI) Program in 2012. Despite all of the public warnings about the dangers listed in Part 1, it extended that contract in 2016 and did not cease until 2020, when threatened with sanctions by the…
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Delusion and Dogma in Virginia Tech’s Admissions Office
by James C. Sherlock Showing once again that people can convince themselves of anything, the Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech’s student newspaper, published on November 5th a story titled: “Record low ACT scores not a concern for Virginia Tech admissions” The opening sentences: Virginia Tech admissions are unbothered by the lowest reported ACT scores in 31…
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Some Virginia State Colleges and Universities Host Chinese Government Student Control Organizations
by James C. Sherlock Virginia Tech’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association is the largest international student society at Virginia Tech, with more than 1,000 Chinese students and scholars and their families. It is also one of the largest Chinese student and scholars organizations in the United States. [Go to link and click “translate” in URL…
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Rising Costs Pushing UVa Tuition Higher
The Jefferson Council released the following press release this morning (Nov. 9, 2023): CHARLOTTESVILLE—Rising costs, not cutbacks in state aid, are primarily responsible for pushing tuition higher at the University of Virginia. State appropriations for UVa have declined sharply between 2002 and 2022 when adjusted for inflation and enrollment. But tuition has exploded over the…
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A Resolution Concerning the Safety and Rights of Jews at UVa
Jefferson Council President Tom Neale yesterday delivered the following resolution of the Council to University of Virginia president Jim Ryan and the Board of Visitors. — JAB The Jefferson Council, by unanimous agreement of the Officers, Committee Chairs and Board of Advisors, hereby issues the following RESOLUTION supporting the rights of the Jewish students, faculty…
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The Facts of the Matter
“You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.” — Daniel Patrick Moynihan: Dear President Ryan, Provost Baucom, and the Board of Visitors, The former New York senator’s famous quotation perfectly describes the October 8 statement posted by the “Students for Justice in Palestine at UVA” on its Instagram…
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“Good old TikTok: Chinese spy engine and purveyor of virulent antisemitic lies.” Sen. Josh Hawley
by James C. Sherlock Taylor Lorenz, the estimable young Tech and Online Culture columnist for The Washington Post, has been the author of some of the most important reports on the Hamas-Israel war. Today, she published with Drew Harwell, a Post reporter covering artificial intelligence and the algorithms changing our lives, “Israel-Gaza war sparks debate…
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UVa’s Modern-Day Barbarians
by James A. Bacon The latest round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has stirred up emotions at the University of Virginia more than any event since the George Floyd riots. Not only are students holding demonstrations and counter-demonstrations; faculty, parents, and alumni are chiming in. Eighty University of Virginia professors signed an open letter proclaiming themselves…
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Governor Youngkin Steps to Curb Anti-Semitic Activities – How about Law Enforcement?
by James C. Sherlock Governor Glenn Youngkin took action today with an Executive Directive to “Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Religious Bigotry in the Commonwealth and on Campuses.” It is excellent, and we look forward to immediate steps by other actors in the Commonwealth.
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What is Actually Taught about the History of the Jews and the Jewish State in Virginia Schools?
by James C. Sherlock What comes first? Sadism or hatred? Does religious radicalism create sadists or do sadists flock there for approval and opportunity? Some on the radical right and the radical left in the United States share a hatred for Jews. The radical right may not be able to remember why, but pursue it…