The Debate over Online Higher Ed

George Leef

Last month, Cato Institute's "Cato Unbound" feature centered on the merits and demerits of online higher education. In this week's Pope Center Clarion Call, I cover the debate (led off by George Mason University's Alex Tabarrok) and add some thoughts of my own. In short, the online alternative is new competition where there used to be little or no competition. I think it's bound to have a good impact on academic standards.

  • Share

Most Commented

December 16, 2025

1.

DOJ Does Away with Disparate Impact Theory

Disparate impact theory is on the Trump administration’s chopping block, signaling a move away from discriminatory government policy practices....

March 3, 2026

2.

The Ayatollah’s Friends are on Your Campus

The U.S. strike on Iran and the foreign funding shaping how universities respond to it....

March 11, 2026

3.

Bad Faith Noncompliance: Virginia Schools Flout Supreme Court and Trump with DEI ‘Rebrand’

Trump’s EOs and the Supreme Court make DEI illegal—but colleges keep rebranding it to dodge the law....

Most Read

May 15, 2015

1.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

February 21, 2014

2.

Taking Care

Is art worth dying for? The Monuments Men considers the value of good art and its purpose in preserving a cultural heritage....

October 17, 2018

3.

Hamilton: An American Musical - Its National Influence as Art

William Young finds much to praise in the hit musical....