Ever since economists revealed how much universities contribute to economic growth, politicians have paid close attention to higher education.

Again and again, universities have put a low priority on the very programs and initiatives that are needed most to increase productivity and competitiveness, improve the quality of government, and overcome the problems of illiteracy, miseducation, and unemployment.

I suspect that no community will become humane and caring by restricting what its members can say.

As countries embrace mass higher education, the cost of maintaining universities increases dramatically relative to an elite system.

Education, and I regret to say this as an educator, but there's no indication that education has a direct effect on happiness.

Economists who have studied the relationship between education and economic growth confirm what common sense suggests: The number of college degrees is not nearly as important as how well students develop cognitive skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving ability.

The college that takes students with modest entering abilities and improves their abilities substantially contributes more than the school that takes very bright students and helps them develop only modestly.