Higher education is a terrible mess all around the U.S. It costs far more than it needs to, and what students get is often a poor excuse for an education. Standards have been falling for decades, and many courses are suffused with leftist beliefs.

Belatedly, a few states are trying to counter the domination of their colleges and universities, and in today’s Martin Center article, Professor Scott Yenor looks at their efforts.

Florida has taken the lead.

Yenor writes:

Florida has used the sovereignty afforded under the federal system to chart its own course in higher education. It has regulated schools of education under its power to certify teachers, thus attempting to rid teacher-preparation programs of critical theories. Florida has three unique centers dedicated to bucking today’s academic consensus, including the Hamilton Center at the University of Florida, the flagship among new academic centers around the country. Gov. DeSantis has placed ideological allies on boards of trustees so that university and college leaders are more likely to support his agenda. More sympathetic presidents have emerged in some universities and colleges, though hardly all. The New College experience stands out as a singular example of conservative institutional takeover.

Other states that have begun to clean up their university systems are Utah, Arkansas, and Texas.

Texas is challenging because the universities aren’t subject to central control, but are run by their respective boards. Finding reliable people for board positions isn’t easy.

Read the whole thing.