Higher Education Could Benefit from Its Own Climate Change

BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL Higher education is misunderstood and struggling financially, but the majority of college and university presidents are increasingly confident that their institutions are financially stable. These seemingly contradictions were found in Inside Higher Education’s annual survey of 706 campus leaders. Let’s set aside the obvious political concerns among presidents about the Trump…

crowd demonstrating holding signs

New culture wars same as the old culture wars?

BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL Thirty years ago, we all understood what the term “culture wars” meant. It was about Mapplethorpe vs. Helms and teaching dead white men vs. revisionist and black history. There were lines. Whichever side you were on, you knew where you stood. The battle lines changed and have morphed into something quite…

"The dominance of family, social, psychological, and cultural forces on a student’s decision to attend and remain at college should not be underestimated."

What Values Should a College Education Support?

BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL Tim Goral published an extremely interesting interview with former president of the Appalachian College Association, Alice Brown, in University Business last month. Ms. Brown’s comments reflected the wisdom of a professional who has served for 15 years leading a consortium of 35 private, liberal arts colleges in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia,…

The Bowdoin Broil

The National Association of Scholars has announced a project “examining the curriculum, student activities, and campus values of Bowdoin College.” I am sure that Peter Wood and the research fellow he has hired will attempt to do a thorough and fair job. But obviously they bring certain biases to their approach. And one concern I…