On September 29, 2015, the Wall Street Journal carried an opinion piece titled “The Feds Won’t Rate My College” by David Whalen, the provost at Hillsdale College, Michigan.

The Feds Won’t Rate My College by David Whalen

At first blush, one might think what’s so important about this and why didn’t they get rated by the U.S. Department of Education?

Mr. Whalen lays out the case for Hillsdale, a small liberal arts college that has been around since 1844.  The school is unusual in that it does not accept taxpayer dollars.  Hm-m!  He concludes his article with a little zinger stating that a useful website should contain all four-year colleges, not just the government’s financial dependents.

Is the Department of Education acting childish, as a punishing parent to those who don’t conform and buy into the Administration’s political agenda and ideology?  Maybe so. But a larger issue looms here that pertains to all of us.  First, a governmental agency has a moral, ethical and legal responsibility to present the facts fairly and honestly.  It could easily state that the following schools were not rated and then list them; or, state the following schools that do not accept federal funding were not rated and then list all in that category.

Worse, however, as we look deeper into this issue is the fact that this ideological behavior erodes public trust and confidence in governmental operational objectivity.  The Education Department is not supposed to be a political arm of the party in power.

Even worse, is this abuse and misuse, an attack on academic freedom, and the very principles that form the roots of American idealism?  Freedom?  Liberty?

Thank you, Mr. Whalen, for lighting a candle.

Robert L. “Bob” Smith, 3rd
Gopher State Politics Institute
www.GopherStatePolitics.com
St. Paul, Minnesota