tear in thick brown paper reveals the word "governance" in block letters on a white background

2021 AAUP Shared Governance Conference

BY MICHAEL DECESARE The 2021 AAUP Shared Governance Conference is in June, and there’s just one week left to submit a proposal for a paper presentation on a topic relating to academic governance. Authors are encouraged to explore connections between their institutions and other institutions, and to consider the application of AAUP governance policies. Possible areas of focus…

digital image of a graveyard with elevated tombs at night or at dusk with buildings in the background

Is the Managed Campus a Graveyard?

BY RACHEL IDA BUFF  This post is excerpted from the introduction to volume 11 of the AAUP’s Journal of Academic Freedom. The entire volume will be available on September 22.  The managed campus and the governed campus represent opposing visions of higher education. In practice and by definition, the managed campus is antithetical to both…

Old university boardroom.

The Board and Institutional Memory

BY ROBERT A. SCOTT The average tenure of college and university presidents has declined from 8.5 years in 2006 to 6.5 years in 2016. The average, of course, masks the longer length of service of those appointed earlier with those appointed more recently, who often face shortened terms. If boards do not manage the transition…

CSCU system office expenditures increase graph.

“Good Faith” and Community College Consolidation

BY 36 COMMUNITY COLLEGE SUPPORTERS In December 2017, as the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) system office was preparing its “Students First” consolidation plan, the system’s Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) presented an extended critique of the proposal.  It was not supportive, recommended other paths, and contained the following warning: “We believe that there is…

round stone seal of the University of North Carolina, bearing an image of a shield flanked by two torches and the words LUX and LIBERTAS divided by a diagonal line, with a brick background

North Carolina’s Ministry of Education

BY MICHAEL SCHWALBE The higher education news from China late last year was chilling to all who value academic freedom. Three major universities—Fudan, Nanjing, and Shaanxi Normal—under the direction of the government’s Ministry of Education, deleted “freedom of thought” from their charters and added pledges to follow Communist Party leadership, according to reports from Reuters.…

book cover: How to Run a College

The Must-Read for Your Higher Ed Summer Reading List

BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL The complex challenges facing colleges and universities are well known: changing demographics and consumer preferences, aging facilities, and the need to keep pace with technological advances. College closures and mergers are becoming increasingly common. But what can faculty and other colleges and university leaders — trustees, presidents, alumni and parent boards,…

The Search for a Cash Cow & Other Strategic Planning Flaws

BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL It’s no secret that American colleges and universities are under stress from a variety of challenges. Unfortunately, most try to tackle these challenges individually rather than strategically, a practice that rarely results in long-term solutions. The demographic crisis confronting institutions, most acutely those that are tuition-dependent, is laid out clearly in…

Unprepared Trustees: A Critical Problem in Higher Education

BY ROBERT A. SCOTT Every state requires hairstylists to receive certifications before they serve the public. There are certification programs for hospital trustees and education programs for corporate directors. Yet few states require training for college and university trustees, individuals who are fiduciaries for the more than $1.2 trillion in operating funds and endowments held…