New College is a warning about the price of populist incompetence by Don Moynihan

Watching Republicans continue to savage the U.S. education system in every way they can think of, I’m reminded of George Carlin’s long-ago explanation for why this willful destruction takes place: “They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interests.” There’s no starker manifestation of that than the corrupt dismantling of New College of Florida by Governor Brokenhuman and his owners. In this piece Don Moynihan wrote for and published in his own Substack, Can We Still Govern?, the blatant villainy and staggering ineptness of the conservative cads who seized stewardship of the public institution is laid bare.

What Just Happened at West Virginia University Should Worry All of Us by Leif Weatherby

Staying on the wrecking balls swung at higher education beat, Leif Wetherby offers his assessment of the recent gutting of select academic programs at West Virginia University. He pays particular attention to the timing and mechanics behind announcing the various cuts, all of which served to exponentially increase the betrayal of students. This article is published by The New York Times.

How Does Kristen Kish Feel at the Top of ‘Top Chef’? It’s Complicated. by Kim Severson

Writing for The New York Times, Kim Severson profiles Kristen Kish as the former Top Chef winner steps into the lead hosting role, replacing Padma Lakshmi. It’s a well-written, thoughtful piece in every respect, but I’ll admit my interest is boosted significantly by the fact the upcoming season of the Bravo reality competition series is being filmed in my native state of Wisconsin. The above Instagram photo was taken at a roadside farm stand in Mukwonago, and reliable sources indicate the production has just moved to Madison, my hometown.