Allan Guelzo of Gettysburg College, author of several fine books about Lincoln and the Civil War, posted these news items on his Facebook page earlier today. I don’t know the source of these news nuggets, but I am sure they are accurate. I think the fourth one is the most significant:
• The University of Akron lays off 160 employees, closes its press, multicultural center and theatre
• South Carolina State University lays off 23 faculty and 12 staff, closes nine buildings
• Ashford University (the former Mt. St. Clare College, sold in 2005) shutters its Iowa campus after spending $40 million on upgrading science labs, athletic fields and classrooms when it fell short of its modest enrollment target of 110 new students
• Vanderbilt University reveals that it spends 11% of its FY 2013-14 budget on federal regulation compliance — $150 million, or just over 25% of every student’s tuition
But why the sad face? The president of the University of Louisville received $1.7 million in compensation last year, so there is definitely happiness to be found (somewhere) in higher education!
I think it is high time some college presidents start standing athwart the federal government bureaucrats and saying “No,” especially to the Title IX regulations. Here’s one way they might do that: whenever there is a complaint about sexual assault, the college’s policy will be to call the police and district attorney’s office immediately, and no longer trample the due process rights of either accused or accuser. Then dare the federal government to cut of federal funds to that college or university. Anyone think the home state senators would sit still for that?
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.