Articles

Colleges and graduate schools of education are of critical importance—they prepare the teachers who will in turn prepare the rising generation of Americans for adult life and citizenship. Unfortunately, it has been clear for some time that education schools are, on the whole, not delivering the level of formation and training for teachers that parents, schools, and society have a right to expect.

Many citizens feel the cost of college has become too expensive, noting the heavy student-loan debt that burdens people for years. Policymakers could significantly reduce the cost of college, according to one expert. But to do so, they’ll have to prioritize the needs of students over the clout of people who make their living off the excesses of the current system.

Is the University of Oklahoma a campus rife with racism, hostility to other minority groups, and rampant threats, intimidation, and discrimination? Hopefully not, but there’s no way to tell for certain because the university has failed to respond to requests for details about complaints filed with the school’s bias hotline.

The battle for integration for black Americans and other minorities lasted for more than 150 years and, on some fronts, continues today. That’s why it is so alarming to many observers of higher education that on many campuses today, things from student residence halls to graduation ceremonies have been increasingly balkanized by race or ethnicity.

The future of the University of Oklahoma will involve a continued focus on efficiency, fewer new buildings and an expansion of online learning, based on the comments of officials appearing before the Senate Education Committee.

Opponents of a free-speech bill signed into legislation argue the law's unintended consequences will turn college campuses into recruitment centers for white supremacists and similar groups. However, according to one expert, those claims are contradicted by real-world outcomes and the text of the law.

An indiscriminate mindset of “more funds mean more growth” is how universities stagnate and reinforce bad habits. It’s true that smart investments in research can benefit a university and spark economic growth, as University of Oklahoma President Jim Gallogly has noted. However, to separate the good spending from the bad, university leaders need rigorous and transparent analyses on how funds are used.

The Oklahoma Senate voted 45-1 to confirm Eric Stevenson to the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents.

Clay Bennett announced his retirement from the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents this week. His legacy is enormous. It is hardly an understatement to say that Clay Bennett has done more good for OU and for our community as a whole than we will ever realize.

Like many universities across the nation, the University of Oklahoma operates a bias reporting hotline that allows any aggrieved or offended party to report and launch an investigation into supposed acts of bias.