Potential students hoping to gauge the quality of courses at Portland State University might be forgiven for feeling confused. On the one hand, the University Studies program, which uses interdisciplinary seminars during the first two years to develop students' core skills, has been widely praised and emulated. The Council for Higher Education…

As college administrators, they take great pains to ensure that students admitted to their campuses have the intellect, motivation, and maturity to succeed. Similarly, they attempt to gather information about the character and integrity of the students they invite to enroll, to safeguard the reputation and well-being of their institutions. But…