Here’s new evidence MSU is prospering. First the Carnegie Endowment just ranked MSU among the top 96 research universities in the U.S. No other school in our region made the cut. Second, on March 6th, Sikorsky Aircraft announced a new Bozeman design center to begin operation this July. Mark Miller, vice president of research and […]
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Every major university claims to celebrate diversity. And they are clearly sincere if we restrict the term to race, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. However, if we include philosophical orientation and political party identification, such claims are decidedly disingenuous. Conservatives and classical liberals are rarely welcome — and Republicans are scarce. “The jury on Marxism […]
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I find travel a mixed blessing, with the best part returning home. I always gain renewed appreciation of qualities we take for granted. I also again understand why our region is so appealing. No wonder we’re a magnet for migrants. Our most recent trip to Washington, DC reminds me that simply living here inures us […]
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This is not a review of P. J. O’Rourke’s delightful 1987 book. Instead, I’ll explain some Bush administration pathologies. Here’s the sorry context of these failures. In 1964, folks of classical liberal (libertarian) and politically conservative persuasions were attracted to the Republican presidential campaign of Arizona senator Barry Goldwater. While he received only 42 electoral […]
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“We do not need to despoil the pristine wilderness of the Arctic Refuge,” said John Flicker, President, National Audubon Society. I strongly agree. The Audubon Society long accepted carefully controlled exploration on its Rainey Sanctuary, a 26,800-acre wildlife preserve in southern Louisiana. Audubon was a pioneer when it permitted carefully regulated gas and oil drilling […]
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Most folks who make New Year’s resolutions begin today. The first three items on the official U.S. Government web site are: lose weight, pay off debt, and save money. But of course these goals don’t apply to the federal government. (Nobel Prizes are given to economists who explain why these goals are antithetical to modern […]
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This year, I believe for the first time since 1957, Christmas and Hanukkah begin on the same day. (Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights commemorating the rededication to Judaism of the Temple in Jerusalem.) This concurrence of celebratory dates reminds me of a childhood Christmas on our family farm. Far more importantly, this conjunction […]
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I was recently in Texas meeting with folks devoted to the preservation and improvement of their state’s wildlife habitat — university researchers, ranchers, public officials, and NGO leaders. The take-home lesson was that private ownership offers no magic elixir. Texas conservationists face problems that challenge us in Montana — habitat fragmentation, water allocation, and invasive […]
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Some measures of university success are clear: SAT scores of students enrolled, passing rates for professional certification, and the win-loss records of sports teams. Others are murky: morale of students and faculty, and ambition toward excellence. One commonly misunderstood feature involves the overhead rate for sponsored research. Grant writers must incorporate indirect costs — IDCs […]
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Creating the national parks was one of America’s best ideas, but inevitable political pressures jeopardize their mission. The parks’ strongest supporters warn of dangers from political management. Consider a recent New York Times editorial. After noting Americans’ overwhelming support for national parks, the Times opines: “Yet in the past two months we have seen two […]
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