The Kiddie Table of Academia

BY DARREN JOHNSON Originally published October 16, 2021; reprinted with permission of Campus News. It’s holiday time, and for those unfamiliar with large American family gatherings this time of year, let me tell you about the kiddie table. Most people who host big dinners in their homes have a big dining room table, usually something…

Whittling Away Faculty Resources at Small Colleges

BY ALICE BROWN Read the first in the series, “Who Cares about Small Colleges?” COVID-19 has reduced the autonomy faculty once had to choose their course content and teaching methods. Colleges across the country have reduced retirement benefits, sabbaticals, and tenure appointments to help balance budgets. Faculty are told whether to teach in person or…

black computer screen with TARGETED THREAT in read amid repeating lines of the numbers one and zero in various patterns

The Real Threat of Tenure

BY MICHAEL SCHWALBE In recent years, right-wing lawmakers have mounted attacks on tenure in Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Kentucky. These efforts have been based on the claim that tenure unduly protects liberal professors who squelch the voices of conservative students. Tenure has also been cited as an obstacle to getting rid of underperforming faculty in…

Harkness Tower at Yale

A University or a Billionaires’ Toy

BY JASON STANLEY Yale University is a central democratic institution, a fact recognized by its tax-exempt status. It provides a forum in which society’s most difficult issues can be confronted and freely discussed. The University educator is thus tasked with presenting their students with intellectually rigorous foundational challenges to tradition; that is the role of…

The Black Scare

BY ERIC SMAW Recently, the Florida state legislature passed House Bill 233, which requires the state Board of Education and Board of Governors to conduct an annual survey of students and professors at public colleges and universities to determine if they feel comfortable expressing their viewpoints in the classroom. State Rep. Spencer Roach, who sponsored…