Fred Thompson, the former Republican U.S. senator and television actor who formally — and finally — jumped into the presidential race last night, has had a lot to say about college topics in commentary he has provided for ABC News Radio over the past six months.

In “The Fred Thompson Report,” he lamented that “political correctness has crept into the halls of academia,” as he cited a case at Marquette University involving controversy over the public posting of a quip by Dave Barry, the humorist.

He also urged the nation to pay more attention to its nursing shortage and advocated more college studies of military history.

Mr. Thompson also made several remarks about the shootings at Virginia Tech last spring. Among other things, he said responsible adults should be allowed to carry weapons on college campuses to protect themselves. He also criticized Virginia Tech for lobbying against state legislation that would have permitted some people to carry concealed weapons on campuses.