Curriculum Vitae

Washington bureaucrats only make half of America's science policy. Judges, juries, and lawyers make the other half, in billion-dollar lawsuits decided in courts around the nation. Lawyer Nathan A. Schachtman, joins us to discuss what the legal and financial consequences are when the courts get their science wrong.

Dr. Reilly joins us to discuss the campus climate today. What racism means, the 1776 Project, and much more.

The University of Pittsburgh recently announced a new required course for all new students: “Anti-Black Racism: History, Ideology, and Resistance.” This course is yet another attempt at forcing students towards ideological conformity, especially in regard to the concept of “anti-racism.” Anti-racist ideology, which is anything but, is sweeping across American higher education. Here to discuss the University of Pittsburgh and how it is representative of the recent push to make anti-racism the new creed of colleges and universities is Steve Hayward.

We attempt to answer an uncommon question: Why is groupthink bad for the academy? To answer this question we are joined by Lee Jussim, a professor of social psychology at Rutgers University and author of the popular Psychology Today blog, Rabble Rouser.

Peter is joined by Mitchell Langbert, Associate Professor of Business at Brooklyn College, to discuss the political affiliation of university professors and his upcoming article in Academic Questions. As the nation’s partisan divide entrenches itself, more attention is being paid to what affect this partisanship has on teaching, research, and institutional trust. Peter and Mitchell go on to discuss Sarah Lawrence College and the internal contradictions of John Dewey’s progressive education.

Let's face it: race will play a role in college admissions for the foreseeable future. But what is the best way to use it as a factor? Peter Wood sits down with NAS Board Member George Dent to discuss the options.

Episode #48: Debunking Howard Zinn with Mary Grabar by National Association of Scholars

In this episode, NAS Policy Director Rachelle Peterson sits down with Peter to discuss where presidential candidates stand on higher education. They walk through the competing “free college” plans and student loan debt forgiveness, and then talk about two competing bills to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. (NAS supports neither one.) Rachelle also shares some good news from the Department of Education, which is listening to NAS’s advice on foreign gift disclosures. (Note: We recorded this podcast before Kamala Harris suspended her presidential campaign.)

Professor Lucas Morel joins NAS Director of Research David Randall to discuss his recent article in the American Mind and the New York Times' 1619 Project. Professor Morel is a Lincoln Scholar and head of the Politics Department at Washington and Lee University.

Seth Forman, the managing editor of NAS’s journal Academic Questions, joins me to discuss the relationship between higher education and the middle class.

Just a few weeks ago, federal district judge Allison Burroughs issued a decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, ruling that Harvard was not guilty of racial discrimination and affirming the value of diversity in college admissions. Today's guest, Dennis Saffran, wrote our amicus brief last year supporting Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA). Listen in as we discuss what the judge's ruling means for the future of racial preferences.

Listen in as Peter is joined by the investor, political philosopher, and playwright, Tom Klingenstein to discuss Abraham Lincoln, a "Golf Shot Heard Round the World," and naturally, the hardships of dating on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

In this episode, Peter is joined by Linda Yang to discuss the implications of Initiative 1000, which re-instates racial preferences in Washington State, and the referendum to bring reverse that law. Read the full show notes on nas.org/reject88.

In this episode, Peter is joined by Craig Klafter, a legal historian, Rector Emeritus of the American University of Myanmar, international scholar, and fellow alumnus of John Silber’s administration at Boston University.

When academic freedom isn't enough courage becomes necessary. In this episode, Peter W. Wood is joined by Penn Law Professor Amy Wax.

Magnet joins Peter W. Wood on Curriculum Vitae to discuss Thomas’s biography and the history of the US Constitution. Along the way, we talk about higher education’s role in forming citizens who are capable of keeping the American republic.

What’s the chief threat to American leadership today? Larry Mead, Professor of Politics and Public Policy at New York University, argues that it is the decline of individualism.

We’re not quite ready to leave summer, because in this episode, Peter Wood and David Randall sit down to discuss “beach books,” the books colleges assign students to read over the summer.

David Blankenhorn is the founder and president of the Institute for American Values, and the president and co-founder of Better Angels, a nonprofit that brings together Americans of all political leanings to understand one another and get beyond stereotypes. In this episode, we talk about what polarization is, when it is bad, and how to promote tolerance.

Professor George LaNoue describes his career teaching First Amendment law and the importance of student debate to intellectual growth. However, colleges are increasingly seeking to avoid controversy, and students often have no tolerance for engaging the other side of any argument.

It may be summer, but there’s much ado in higher education. Three members of the NAS staff join me on this episode to discuss Oberlin, the Department of Education's investigation of foreign gifts, and the Democratic candidate's education policies.

Professor John McWhorter is a linguist at Columbia University and host of the podcast, Lexicon Valley. Listen in as he discusses the exciting world of words. After which, we dive into the "Church of Social-Justice" and a broader discussion on race in America today.

The City University of New York has a reputation for providing high-quality education to the poor, working class, and immigrants of New York City. Professor Martin Burke joins me to discuss CUNY's history and future.

Peter is joined by Richard Vedder to discuss the skyrocketing cost of college and the release of his new book.

The NAS staff run through the news stories of the last month. Listen in as they discuss adversity scores, the college admissions scandal, and a Washington State law the reinstates racial preferences in hiring and admissions.

Regulations often have unintended consequences such as hurting the very people it is supposed to protect. I speak with Philip Howard about common sense reforms that save money and make government work.

A conversation on the place of unions on campus, from faculty to grad students, and the recent case of St. Cloud University Professor Kathleen Uradnik. Our public employee unions expert guest is Daniel DiSalvo, an assistant professor CUNY and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

What does it mean to be civil today? Where will the breakdown in shared manners and morals take society? Rusty and Peter W. Wood discuss these questions and a few news stories in this week's episode.

Join the NAS staff for coverage of last month's most important higher ed stories and the most pressing issues coming up this month.

Separate but Equal, Again? Dion J. Pierre argues that 65 years after Brown v. Board of Education, Yale still segregates students by race.

Does grad school need a makeover? This is the question discussed with Leonard Cassuto a Fordham University professor concerned with setting expectations for aspiring grad students. We deviate from the heaviness of reform to the even heavier topic of true crime.

Today, Peter is joined by his personal trainer, Cheyne Zeller. Cheyne started college in 2004, but like many students life got in the way, preventing him from completing his four-year degree. We discuss the disillusion that comes with being a hair's breadth from a degree, students being forced to leave their studies, and the debt many Americans face from attempting the pursuit of a college degree. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Cheyne has his own students now and offers tips for lazy students and professors. Listen in and get motivated with Cheyene Zeller!

Peter W. Wood is joined by Amity Shlaes to discuss the New Deal, Calvin Coolidge, and her story as a self-made scholar.

Peter W. Wood is joined by Gene Dattel and author and scholar on race in America. We discuss the history of reconstruction, reparations, civil rights, and Black separatist movements.

March was a busy month, from college admission scandals to free speech executive orders we had our hands full. Listen in and hear what the NAS staff has to say about March's biggest higher education news stories.

In the episode, Peter W. Wood is joined by Professor Bob Carle. They discuss his recent article in Academic Questions on Christopher Columbus and redeeming heroes made into villains.

Peter W. Wood interviews Nathaniel Peters of the Morningside Institute, an organization that introduces students to cultural staples of New York City.

What happened to all the Latin grammar books?

Peter W. Wood is joined by the NAS staff to discuss the news of February and what they're looking at in the month ahead.

What is the nature of truth? Why should students steep themselves in philosophy? In this episode, Peter W. Wood is joined by professor of philosophy Rob Koons to discuss these questions and many more.

Steve Balch, NAS's founder, joins Peter W. Wood for an hour of discussion on the story of NAS, the study of Western Civilization, and his hopes for the future of American higher education.

Peter W. Wood interviews Larry Kogan, a lawyer, on sustainability and leads us on an expedition into the dark underbelly of government regulations.

Peter W. Wood sits down with the NAS staff to discuss higher education news and themes from January.

Peter W. Wood sits down with Darel Paul, a professor of political science at Wiliams College and author of From Tolerance to Equality.

Listen in as Peter W. Wood and Bruce Gilley discuss the slings and arrows showered on the Academy’s nonconformists. Dr. Gilley is a professor at Portland State University and is the president of the Oregon chapter of the National Association of Scholars. He is also author of “The Case for Colonialism,” a paper that drew immediate and widespread condemnation. Peter and Bruce discuss the article, the repercussions, and the danger that face professors researching sensitive topics.

In this tenth episode of Curriculum Vitae, Peter W. Wood is joined by Jay Nordlinger. Jay is a senior editor of National Review and a fellow of the National Review Institute. He is also the music critic of The New Criterion. He writes on many subjects, including politics, foreign policy, human rights, and the arts; and has written a history of the Nobel Peace Prize and a study of the sons and daughters of dictators. In this episode we discuss the uses and abuses of disgrace, shame, and punishment in American politics today.

In this ninth episode of Curriculum Vitae, Peter W. Wood is joined by William Meyers. Bill is a photographer whose photographs have been published in the New York Times, City Journal, and elsewhere. His writing regularly appears in the “Art Review” section of the Wall Street Journal. Listen as we discuss the search for truth, upholding the standards of a liberal arts education, and more.

This week’s podcast is a conversation with Nahma Sandrow who joined NAS shortly after we were founded in the mid-1980s and she was a tenured professor at the City University of New York. Join us for the reflections of a scholar and artist who has listened well to the heartbeat of our civilization.

Jude Russo, Rachelle Peterson, and David Randall sit down with Peter Wood to talk about the books they have been reading and those they recommend for the year ahead.

On this episode of Curriculum Vitae, Peter Wood and Barry Latzer discuss race, crime, and Barry’s battles with the progressive guardians of the publishing world.

In this fifth installment of Curriculum Vitae, Peter W. Wood sits down with Mark Bauerlein to discuss the progressive left’s new tactic, which Mark calls “argument by epithet.” This new form of political discourse is also the subject of Mark’s recent article in Academic Questions. Mark is a senior editor at First Things magazine and a professor of English at Emory University.