Until rather recently, having a college degree was a good signal in the job market, indicating greater maturity and trainability. Now, however, many employers say they prefer to steer clear of college kids.

In today’s Martin Center article, Sherman Criner ponders this turnabout. As he sees it, colleges are doing a poor job of preparing young people for the world of work.

In Criner’s view, here’s the root of the problem:

At present, most American universities are not fostering civil discourse on their campuses. Everything from the pro-Palestine protests at UNC-Chapel Hill and elsewhere to the shouting down of speakers at Stanford Law School and dozens of other institutions demonstrates this disheartening reality. Universities have taken the perplexing position of pushing students away from one another by adopting official political positions, creating divisive affinity groups, and implementing harsh speech codes. Though generally enacted with idealistic intentions, these programs serve only to cluster like-minded individuals in a manner wholly unrepresentative of the intellectually diverse work environments students will soon inhabit.

Indeed so. This has happened because many colleges have allowed the relatively small minority of “progressive” zealots to take over much of school life.