In Virginia’s recent gubernatorial election, the candidates were so uniformly unappealing to many Virginia voters that one can make the case that very little should be deduced from the results. Still, among many commentators on the Far Right, the effort to explain Cuccinelli’s defeat as anything but a reaction against his political positions has led…
In recent years a growing number of American universities have opened Confucius Institutes as part of their programs in East Asian studies. Confucius Institutes are non-profit institutions that aim to promote Chinese language and culture and the teaching of the Chinese language, and which facilitate cultural exchanges. But the Confucius Institutes differ from the British…
Note: This was originally published on Raging Chicken Press earlier today. I did my PhD work at Miami University. No, not in Florida – Miami University in Oxford, OH. There was a t-shirt in the bookstore that always provided a snarky retort to those who made the assumption that I was writing my dissertation in Florida:…
The following chart, showing the job losses that have occurred in the nine economic recessions that have occurred since World War II and the rebound in job growth following those recessions, very recently appeared in Business Insider. The chart has been taken from the site Calculated Risk, and the brief accompanying article quotes Bill McBride…
Like many people with opinions on Adrian Raine’s speech tonight at the College of Charleston, I am angry. But I am not angry at the College for inviting an expert on the biological links to crime to speak, or for defending academic freedom by refusing to cancel a speech. I’m angry that pandering politicians are…
Mike Alewitz’s post “Bert the Turtle Meets Fear and Loathing on Campus” has made the following item seem especially apropos. The item has appeared in somewhat different form on the site Futility Closet (www.futilitycloset.com). It is re-posted with the permission of Greg Ross, who maintains the site. You can have daily updates from the site…
First of all, let me thank the administration of Chicago State University for calling my attention — and the attention of thousands of others — to the informative and entertaining blog maintained by Chicago State faculty as a forum for “the faculty’s uncensored voice.” As the Chicago Tribune, insidehighered, and the Chronicle of Higher Education…
On this day, it is sobering to put into perspective the costs to our veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.* About 2.5 million Americans are military veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over 6,650 American military personnel have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. At least 6,300 “civilian contractors”…
As American colleges and universities scramble to cut costs, hold down tuition, and support academic programs, the parameters shaping student life remain at best undefined. What role does support for student life play in an academic setting? At residential campuses, most of the energy and financial support is appropriately directed toward the academic program. Student…