Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Monday, July 24th, 2023

The Republican war on colleges

Author:     Caitlin Owens
Source:     Axios
Publication Date:     23 July 2023
 Link: The Republican war on colleges
Stephan:  

Republicans “have historically thought of education as a training ground for employment,” said Beth Akers, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. This in contrast to the view of George Washington Carver: “Education is the key that unlocks the golden door to freedom.” In any case that’s the story Republicans tell. But that is not what, I think, is really going on. This is the culture war; this is what an attempt to change the culture is producing. This is why college professors, just like OB/Gyns, are walking away from assured employment practicing the specialty upon which they have based their lives, to practice it elsewhere. As George Washington Carver said,

Former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the two GOP presidential frontrunners, have both promised a crackdown on colleges should they occupy the White House — a stark reflection of the right’s growing skepticism of higher education.

Between the lines: Some Republican complaints about colleges are related to broader concern about “wokeness” and free speech. But others hint at deeper questions about the value of college, and how to ensure a degree comes with an appropriate economic return.

Driving the news: In a video posted on his website last week, Trump pledged to “fire the radical Left accreditors” and hire new ones “who will impose real standards on colleges.”

  • Some of those standards would include “protecting free speech,” “removing all Marxist diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucrats,” and “implementing college entrance and exit exams to prove that students are actually learning and getting their money’s worth.”
  • Last month, DeSantis sued the Biden administration over the college accreditation system, alleging it’s unconstitutional, Inside Higher Ed reports. Students who receive federal aid must attend an accredited […]
Read the Full Article

3 Comments

  1. Albus Eddie on Monday, July 24, 2023 at 9:08 am

    As someone who has spent decades in academic settings studying from bachelor’s level to the Doctoral level, and who has held support positions in the academy to the present, I can definitively state that the range of acceptable debate has narrowed considerably from the 1970’s and 1980’s. The feeling I get is that the clock has turned back to the 1950’s. Faculty and students are not required to sign loyalty oaths to maintain their positions but the de facto reality is moving in that direction.

  2. Bruce deLange on Monday, July 24, 2023 at 6:24 pm

    Steve, I understand there is an exudus from democrat blue states, NY, Ca. Ill. and democrat cites where the crime rate is soaring. Marxism fails every time. Heard you on c2c and wondered wtf?

    • Stephan Schwartz on Monday, July 24, 2023 at 9:05 pm

      Bruce —
      I am very sorry to tell you that you are the victim (whether willing or not I do not know) of Republican misinformation. Here is the reality. Check for yourself. And I doubt you even know what Marxism is. There is none in the United States.
      10 Most Dangerous States in the US (2023)
      Alaska
      New Mexico
      Tennessee
      Arkansas
      Arizona
      Louisiana
      Missouri
      South Carolina
      South Dakota
      Michigan

      10 Most Dangerous Cities in America (2023)
      Memphis, Tennessee
      St. Louis, Missouri
      Oakland, California
      Albuquerque, New Mexico
      Baltimore, Maryland
      New Orleans, Louisiana
      Detroit, Michigan
      Lubbock, Texas
      Chicago, Illinois
      Stockton, California