Academe Blog

A Forum for Race Dialogue in American Higher Education

Guest Blogger — Wed, 30 May 2012 17:03:53 +0000

The following is a guest post by Dr. James Pappas. Dr. Pappas serves as Vice President for University Outreach, Dean of the College of Liberal Studies, and Professor at the Departments of Educational Psychology and Liberal Studies at the University of Oklahoma. From May 29–June 2, 2012 in New York City, the National Conference on …

“Chronic Illness And the Academic Career”

Ezra Deutsch-Feldman — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:08:12 +0000

More than half of all Americans have experienced some form of chronic illness. In a new article for Academe, Stephanie A. Goodwin and Susanne Morgan look at how chronic illnesses affect faculty members. Because such illnesses can have no symptoms visible to others, many faculty members can be unaware that some of their colleagues have …

“Curriculum for Sale”

Ezra Deutsch-Feldman — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:05:58 +0000

North Carolina multimillionaire Arthur Pope has been using his wealth to influence the state’s politics and policy for years. In the May-June issue of Academe, Hassan Melehy, a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, explains how Pope uses his wealth to fund foundations which push for more and more conservative influence over education. On the one hand, …

“Fine Print, Restrictive Grants, and Academic Freedom”

Ezra Deutsch-Feldman — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:05:06 +0000

As we all know, universities around the country are in financial trouble. Many states have been cutting funding to their public universities, forcing the schools to do more with less. So it’s understandable that administrators would be on the lookout for new sources of funding—including wealthy donors. In “Fine Print, Restrictive Grants, and Academic Freedom,” …

“When Billionaires Become Educational Experts”

Ezra Deutsch-Feldman — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:01:05 +0000

How much influence should wealthy donors be able to buy? Kevin Kumashiro looks at the question is “When Billionaires Become Educational Experts,” in the May-June issue of Academe. Kumashiro examines the history of two groups, the Philanthropy Roundtable and the Business Roundtable, which have had outsized influence in education policy from their founding in the …

“The Price of Philanthropy” – May-June 2012 Issue of Academe

Ezra Deutsch-Feldman — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:54:12 +0000

When does philanthropy cross the line? That’s the question we are looking at in the newest issue of Academe, now posted online. Over the next few days, I’ll be highlighting a few of the feature articles, but before I do, I wanted to talk about the issue as a whole, because I think it’s a particularly good …

Why Idaho State’s Administration Fired Me

Guest Blogger — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:20:17 +0000

By Leonard Hitchcock, Professor Emeritus, Idaho State University Idaho State University (ISU) is currently under sanction by the AAUP. Details of its case are available online, in one of the AAUP’s investigative reports for 2011 (pdf). My own case is essentially a footnote to that report. I retired as a full professor in the ISU …

Interview with Rudy Fichtenbaum

John K. Wilson — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:35:39 +0000

Rudy Fichtenbaum, a professor at Wright State University, was elected the next president of the AAUP last month. John K. Wilson interviewed Fichtenbaum via email about his goals for the AAUP. John K. Wilson: A headline about your election on InsideHighered.com asked, “Is the AAUP about to change course?” Is it? In what direction? Rudy …

Tennessee Legislators Attack Religious Freedom and University Autonomy

John K. Wilson — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:05:53 +0000

In an example of terrible legislation, the Tennessee House and Senate this week approved a new law (if it’s signed by the governor) compelling public universities (and the private Vanderbilt University) to allow student groups to discriminate against students based on religious beliefs and private behavior. It’s an attack on the religious liberty of individuals, …

The Liberty Way of Censorship

John K. Wilson — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:55:37 +0000

It used to be that a Republican presidential candidate speaking at Liberty University was controversial because of the institution’s repressive, far-right-wing politics. Now, the controversy goes the other way. Mitt Romney is being attacked by students at Liberty University because he has been invited to be this year’s commencement speaker. That’s controversial because Romney is …