Well-educated people seek well-educated responses to lunacy.
Oregon affiliate president Bruce Gilley weighs in against proposed curricular changes.
A bill in the Oregon legislature has drawn ire for comparing genocide to the daily plight of microaggressions and appropriation.
Peter W. Wood writes a letter to the President of Portland State University urging the institution to end its use of academic disciplinary procedures to harass Professor Boghossian.
Can a classroom provide a healthy learning environment for masses of students?
In a new series of correspondence about the California Association of Scholars' report A Crisis of Competence, the University of California Regents appear less than transparent.
We mourn the passing of Professor Ted Hamerow, remembered here by a close colleague.
The California Association of Scholars responds a second time to UC's Board of Regents.
The UC Board of Regents seems determined to disregard substantial evidence of the politicization of college education on its watch, in part by denying to its critics, the California Association of Scholars.
The California Association of Scholars, a division of NAS, challenges the Board of Regents to address political activism in the classroom at the University of California.
A report on the politicization of required US history courses in Texas.
Although the University of California denied accusations of political activism earlier this year, CAS addresses the UC once more after recent events on campus.
Our New York affiliate weighs in on a controversy of racial and religious labels at the City University of New York.
NAS chairman Steve Balch answers responses to the new report by the California Association of Scholars on politicization in the University of California.
We've lost another stalwart. Norman Fruman, former Minnesota affiliate head and an NAS director since 1996, has died at the age of 88. Steve Balch misses this member of the greatest generation.
The recent NAS report, "A Crisis of Competence, " evoked comment from the head of the University of California system, to which the CAS authors of the report replied
At a press conference UC president Mark Yudof declared his commitment to ideology-free education. Charles Geshekter of the Caliofornia Association of Scholars asked him to say so in a memo to the UC Board of Regents.
NAS remembers Ed Rauchut: memorable teacher, productive scholar, academic entrepreneur, devoted father, and absolutely genuine man.
Both national and local media pay attention to a new report by NAS's California affiliate on the politicization of the University of California.
A report on the consequences of politicization in higher education, focused on the University of California.
Peter Wood contrasts discontented Occupiers with another discontented group.
A report from a National Capitol Association of Scholars meeting.
On Sunday afternoon Manhattan Institute senior fellow Sol Stern will speak in New York City on the current value of higher education.
A study led by NAS's Arkansas affiliate head finds that high school literature courses draw sparsely on the great books.
At a recent gathering of college students, Professor Jan Blits, NAS's Delaware affiliate head, urged students not to take liberty for granted.
A divided three-judge panel of the 6th Federal Appeals Circuit has struck down Michigan's voter-approved constitutional amendment banning the consideration of race or sex in college admissions decisions. I haven't had the opportunity to parse the specific details of the constitutional basis on which the court reached this conclusion, only that Propostiion 2, as it was known as a ballot initiative, harms minority applicants. The next step, if there is one, will be an appeal to the full bench of the 6th circuit or to the US Supreme Court. The decision comes at a time when the California Legislature is considering a law which would re-introduce racial quotas into the admissions process there, in direct conflict with the provisions of Proposition 209. This you'll recall, was also a voter-approved initiative banning such preferences. Our California affiliate, as noted here, is vigorously opposing this seemingly back-door maneuver. Ward Connerly, a tireless opponent of racial preferences and supporter of both ballot initiatives, gets it right when says that it's becoming impossible for the people to make their own collective decisions in these matters, due to the arbitrary intervention of the courts. Let's hope that an appeal is not long in coming.
NAS Illinois affiliate president Jonathan Bean discusses classical liberalism and race relations with interviewer La Tasha R. Jones.
NAS’s New York affiliate believes a CUNY resolution intended to help community college students transfer to four-year schools has the unintended consequence of severely undermining academic standards.
A statement of NAS's affiliate the New York Association of Scholars on the Kushner controversy.
Jonathan Bean, an NAS leader and history professor at Southern Illinois University, has been appointed to the state's advisory committee for the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.
The new president of the Massachusetts Association of Scholars outlines his vision for the affiliate.
NAS's California affiliate calls out UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau for his improper use of his position for political advocacy.
Cross-posted from NAS.org Congratulations to King Banaian, who was elected in a close race to the Minnesota House of Representatives. On Election Day he was ten votes ahead of his opponent Carol Lewis, and after a recount on November 29, Lewis conceded the race to Banaian.
Cross-posted from NAS.org Congratulations to Jim Summerville, who was elected to the Tennessee state Senate on November 2, beating incumbent Doug Jackson in a surprise upset. He has been the president of the Tennessee affiliate of the National Association of Scholars for a good many years. We wish him well as he embarks on this new chapter of his career, serving the people of the 25th District.
This week, two NAS state affiliates wrote letters to the editor of local newspapers. Potential Bias at UI College of Law Daily Iowan Don Racheter, Iowa Association of Scholars Open Dialogue, Good Decisions St. Paul Pioneer Press Terrence F. Flower, Minnesota Association of Scholars
A faculty member's call for racial discrimination gives us a window into the shallow world of "diversity" in academe.
A victory for the California Association of Scholars, who argued against a bill that would have legalized racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination.
Proposition 209, the law prohibiting racial preferences at public universities in California, is under attack. Last week the California Association of Scholars (CAS), an affiliate of NAS, filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit against Prop. 209 by an organization that, as NAS president Peter Wood said, "has deployed questionable tactics against civil rights initiatives in every state where they have been proposed." CAS, along with Ward Connerly and the American Civil Rights Foundation, will be represented by attorneys with the Pacific Legal Foundation. There is also a bill called AB2047, which would effectively overturn Prop. 209 and is now in the hands of the California Senate. CAS president John Ellis has sent a letter to the Senate chair, Gloria Romero, urging her and her colleagues to vote down this law. Links Press Release on CAS and BAMN lawsuit CAS Letter to State Senate Chronicle of Higher Ed Pacific Legal Foundation Press Release
"A lack of intellectual diversity hurts both left and right," contends Professor Ellis.
So, for the first event of the Arizona Association of Scholars, Ward Connerly will be our guest. Being a strong believer in open dialogue I forwarded a press release to many student organizations on campus. Here is one response:
To: Daniel, Arturo, Andrea, Lorenzo, Socorro, and David I didn't want to explain all of this to the greater email list, but I'm just sending this to a few leaders on campus: Ward Connerly (for those who may not be familiar) was a key opponent of Affirmative Action when the University of Michigan defended its admissions process to the Supreme Court in the late 1990s. As chair of Alianza (Latino student organization) at the University of Michigan during the Affirmative Action cases, I can attest that, frankly, his advocacy can do more potential damage for student of color resources on campus than the cultural center restructuring plans. So, I urge you to research Connerly's track record, attend the talk, and let your voices be heard. If you think it would help, I'd be glad to address your organizations, just let me know. Thanks, Maurice
Jeepers, so much for free inquiry and open dialogue, which now seems to be a dangerous commodity.
Next month the California Association of Scholars, along with the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, will sponsor a free lecture by Victor Davis Hanson on “War in the postmodern world: a review of new laws of conflict and why they are often surreal when seen in a classical context.” Here is the description of the event:
Using ancient Greece and military history as commentary, Professor Hanson will analyze the legal dilemmas faced by democracies when defending themselves against terrorist entities.
Victor Davis Hanson is a Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Professor Emeritus of Classics at the California State University at Fresno, noted historian of ancient Greece and preeminent military historian. He is author of more than 170 articles, 16 books, and recipient of many awards, including the National Humanities Medal.
Victor Davis Hanson is also the recipient of NAS’s Peter Shaw Award and was the keynote speaker at our 2009 national conference. We hope our local members and readers will seize this opportunity to hear from an excellent scholar of Western civilization and to meet like-minded Californians.
The lecture will take place on Monday, October 12, 2009, at 7:30pm at the UCLA faculty center. Please call (310) 569-0853 if you have any questions.
Our California affiliate raises objections to proposals which will guarantee admissions to 9 percent of each high school.
The National Association of Scholars is proud to announce the inception of a new affiliate for the state of Arkansas.
