Causing the College Credentials Craze

A cause, if not the cause of the college credentials craze (that is, companies ruling out applicants who don't have college degrees even for simple jobs that most high school kids could learn) was the Supreme Court's decision in Griggs v. Duke Power in 1971. In my latest Forbes piece, I explain how that ruling, which mangled the clear words of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to give anti-testing zealots in the EEOC what they wanted, started the credentials mania. I also raise a question that should trouble the higher ed establishment: what if the Court were to apply the logic of Griggs to the widespread requirement of a college degree for work that doesn't clearly necessity any college study or training? That would deflate the bubble very quickly.