AAUP President Releases Statement on Obama Higher Ed Proposal, Sign the Petition for Faculty Inclusion!

Last week, President Obama released a higher education reform proposal, citing the goals of making college more affordable and reining in student debt. While the AAUP applauded the President for raising these concerns – ones that we share – AAUP President Rudy Fichtenbaum called the plan “little more than a version of the failed policy of ‘No Child Left…

The Cult of Individualism: A History of an Enduring American Myth

My latest book, The Cult of Individualism: A History of an Enduring American Myth was published today by Praeger. It is a study of the backgrounds of the Red-State/Blue-State divide that so bedevils American politics. The idea for it arose from explorations into the history of my own family, which has roots (not to mention contemporary…

Amateur Detectives Featured in Mystery Novels and Series Who Are College and University Professors, M-Z

Cultural Representations of Higher Ed, No. 10 _________________________ Farran Mackenzie, a professor of history (created by Maggie Wheeler); Professor Malcolm (created by Tom Bradby); Sheila Malory, a professor of English (created by Hazel Holt); Harley Manners, a professor of psychology (created by Charles Judson Dutton); Maria Masterson, a professor of English (created by Sarah Dunant);…

CFHE Letter in Support of the City College of San Francisco

This letter was sent by the Steering Committee of the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education to the leadership of the faculty bargaining unit at the City College of San Francisco after the regional accreditation agency announced that the college had not made sufficient progress toward correcting the deficiencies identified by the accreditation team…

Frustrations, Crustaceans & Class Collaborations

(The opening meeting of the faculty union at CCSU was graced with the presence of University administrators, invited by AAUP officers, who provided them with a lavish lobster spread. Sadly, I was not present to bask in the glow of this company-union affection – but it has inspired me to make this poetic offering}: Colleagues…

The New Faculty Majority’s Statement in Response to President Obama’s August 22, 2013 Speech at SUNY Buffalo

While New Faculty Majority appreciates the efforts of the Obama administration to address the critical problem of the skyrocketing cost of higher education and its effects, particularly on the students and faculty who are saddled with crippling student debt, we call on the administration to consider more carefully the full ramifications of the policies it…

Big $$$ Foundations Are Driving the Policy Train

An “On the Issues” post from the Campaign for the future of Higher Education [http://futureofhighered.org] _________________________ We like to think experts who weigh in on the direction of American higher education are steeped in researchabout what works and have real-world experience with actual students. We like to assume that elected officials, who are accountable to…