Episode #31: Last Month, Today

May News Edition

Peter Wood

This week NAS staff members Rachelle Peterson, David Randall, and Glenn Ricketts join me to talk about last month’s higher ed news. The College Board is now giving SAT takers an “Adversity Score.” The University of South Dakota is seeking ideas to promote and measure intellectual diversity—and NAS has some suggestions. Washington state has just overturned a ban on racial preferences.

We also talk about some notable commencement addresses and the rise of segregated commencements. We discuss another college cutting its liberal arts program, the fall of academic standards at the University of California Santa Cruz, the ongoing closure of Confucius Institutes, and more.

Oh, and we find a whole new meaning to the term "racketeering" in the continuing college admissions scandal. 

Yours,



Peter W. Wood

  • Share

Most Commented

February 13, 2024

1.

The Great Academic Divorce with China

All signs show that American education is beginning a long and painful divorce with the People’s Republic of China. But will academia go through with it?...

January 24, 2024

2.

After Claudine

The idea has caught on that the radical left overplayed its hand in DEI and is now vulnerable to those of us who seek major reforms. This is not, however, the first time that the a......

February 2, 2024

3.

Tribalism or Individualism?

The most immediate work of conservatives must be the rejection of tribalism and a refocus on the individual—individual character, industry, and aptitude....

Most Read

May 15, 2015

1.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

October 12, 2010

2.

Ask a Scholar: What is the True Definition of Latino?

What does it mean to be Latino? Are only Latin American people Latino, or does the term apply to anyone whose language derived from Latin?...

September 21, 2010

3.

Ask a Scholar: What Does YHWH Elohim Mean?

A reader asks, "If Elohim refers to multiple 'gods,' then Yhwh Elohim really means Lord of Gods...the one of many, right?" A Hebrew expert answers....