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Julius Rosenwald & Booker T. Washington: The Secret of Resilience and Empowerment by Robert Woodson
Robert Woodson delivered these remarks at the 2025-2026 series of the Levy Forum […]
The National Assessment of Adult Literacy revealed that many college graduates have a limited grasp of arithmetic and critical reading skills after four expensive years of college. Why? Post reporter Daniel de Vise noted that the average college student spends 27 hours a week on academics—about the same as full-day kindergartners. This is not just because students work for income. Think low standards and inflated grades.
Twelve of Virginia’s 15 public universities fail to meet state guidelines for weekly hours of classroom use. Many college classrooms are deserted on Fridays, and the party’s on.
Who is to blame? Fish rot from the head down. How hard would it be for university trustees to direct that as many classes will be scheduled on Friday afternoon as on Tuesday morning? To have tests on Fridays and ratchet back the party culture? How hard would it be to publish the percentage of A’s, B’s, C’s, D’s and F’s that each instructor gives and to make grading standards an issue in faculty evaluation?
A serious academic culture requires serious leadership. Students deserve no less.
Michael Poliakoff is vice president of policy at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.
Robert Woodson delivered these remarks at the 2025-2026 series of the Levy Forum […]
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) annually assesses core curricula at over 1,100 U.S. colleges and universities as part of our What Will They Learn? project. Each school is assigned a letter grade based on seven core subject areas. As one of the most significant improvements recorded this year, New College of Florida has skyrocketed from an F to a B+ rating. By achieving a B+, it comes in the top 7.5% grades nationwide, and is now the highest-graded public school in Florida.
Andrew Ollett, an associate professor at the University of Chicago, used to wear a t-shirt that read “Sanskrit or die (pāṇḍityaṁ śaraṇaṁ vā mē mr̥tyur vā).” Referring to an ancient language from South Asia, Dr. Ollett’s shirt captured the spirit of the institution. Students dub it the university “where fun goes to die” because of […]
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