NAS unveils new webpages dedicated to federal and state policy proposals
[link removed]
CounterCurrent:
A Blueprint for Higher Education Reform
NAS unveils new webpages dedicated to federal and state policy proposals
CounterCurrent is the National Association of Scholars’ weekly newsletter, bringing you the biggest issues in academia and our responses to them.
[link removed]
Category: Higher Ed Reform; Reading Time: ~2 minutes
------------------------------------------------------------
** Featured Article - "NAS Cuts the Ribbon for Policy Proposals Website Section" ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
It’s easy to identify the problems with American higher education. From skyrocketing tuition ([link removed]) to plummeting academic standards ([link removed]) to the ever-encroaching diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucracy ([link removed]) , the rot in America’s colleges and universities goes from top to bottom. This academic crisis has led some to abandon the prospect of reform altogether and to encourage young Americans to pursue alternative paths, leaving the universities to collapse in on themselves in the coming decades.
The National Association of Scholars (NAS) has taken a different approach over its thirty-five-year history. We believe that every generation of Americans should have the opportunity to pursue a liberal education centered on the search for truth. While some (perhaps many) of our nation’s colleges and universities may be beyond repair, others may correct course and refocus their programs on meaningful education. Rather than causing us to despair, the abysmal state of colleges today should motivate us to persevere in our efforts to repair and restore American academe.
This, of course, is far easier said than done. We know this as well as anyone. Over the past several decades, NAS has attempted to change higher education from the inside, promoting reform within the academy and defending individual professors from the persecution of university administrators. Although our research reports ([link removed]) sought to inform the public of the deep-rooted problems in the academy, we primarily focused on encouraging universities to reform themselves and equipping professors and administrators to use their influence to push for meaningful change within their institutions.
We have not given up on this goal. But the rapid radicalization of university leadership and the increasing ideological conformity of faculties have led NAS to conclude that a change in tactics is needed. The leaders of America’s universities have proven again and again that they will only listen to the most radical voices on campus and will ignore—or silence—those who disagree with their agenda. If American higher education is to be reformed, the pressure must come from outside the institutions, not from within.
To that end, NAS has unveiled a new section of its website dedicated to federal and state policy proposals ([link removed]) . These proposals provide legislative solutions to problems facing American higher education, including specific reforms aimed at promoting intellectual freedom ([link removed]) , depoliticizing campuses ([link removed]) , limiting foreign interference ([link removed]) , and combatting administrative bloat ([link removed]) .
Our announcement ([link removed]) about the new section of the website explains why government intervention is needed and outlines what our policy proposals seek to accomplish:
The federal government and the state governments must play a crucial role in the necessary reforms to America’s education system. American citizens ultimately provide the vast majority of funds to our education system, whether by direct support, student aid, research grants, or other means. Progressives have used this financial dependence to impose a revolution on higher education. A counter-revolution can only succeed by using the regulatory and financial levers of government to free our students from the radical regime.
NAS’s policy recommendations offer the American public a map of how the progressive left uses administrative machinery to maintain control of the classrooms despite broad public resistance. They also are intended to inform the public and policymakers about the scope of needed legislation and the best means by which to proceed toward the goal of liberating our schools. Our policy proposals seek to show Americans what needs to be done to reform American education, to give them hope that American education can be reformed, and to provide a detailed roadmap for how to go about the task.
Higher education has played a crucial role in the formation of America’s character and culture. Rather than abandon our colleges and universities to their own devices, we must double down on our efforts to restore an education system centered on the pursuit of truth. NAS’s policy proposals will serve as a crucial weapon in the battle over academia’s future.
Until next week.
Marina Ziemnick
Communications Associate
National Association of Scholars
Read More ([link removed])
For more on the reform of American higher education:
[link removed]
September 23, 2022
** NAS Comments on Senator Tom Cotton's Student Loan Reform Act ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
National Association of Scholars
The Student Loan Reform Act of 2022 would greatly improve higher education, but more far-reaching reform is needed to address the structural problems afflicting American universities.
[link removed]
May 31, 2022
** Can America's Colleges and Universities Be Saved? ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
David Randall
We urge American citizens and policymakers to reform our higher education system while there is still time.
[link removed]
May 10, 2022
** Beginning the Long March Back ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Marina Ziemnick
Three routes to restoring the credibility of America’s educational institutions.
[link removed]
July 18, 2020
** Rebuilding America by Restoring the University ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Neetu Arnold
Since the progressive trend in higher education isn't going away, conservatives must push for reform by exerting power from the outside.
** About the NAS
------------------------------------------------------------
The National Association of Scholars, founded in 1987, emboldens reasoned scholarship and propels civil debate. We’re the leading organization of scholars and citizens committed to higher education as the catalyst of American freedom.
============================================================
Follow NAS on social media.
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Twitter ([link removed])
** YouTube ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
** Donate ([link removed])
| ** Join ([link removed])
| ** Renew ([link removed])
| ** Bookstore ([link removed])
Copyright © 2022 National Association of Scholars, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website, membership or donation forms, contact forms at events, or by signing open letters.
Our mailing address is:
National Association of Scholars
420 Madison Avenue
7th Floor
New York, NY 10017-2418
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.
