Who Studies Philosophy?
A propos of Sen. Marco Rubio’s ungrammatical comment that “we need more welders and less (sic) philosophers,” the American Philosophical Association has posted an intriguing list of prominent figures in government and politics, activism, academia, business, religion, writing, news and journalism, arts and entertainment, and sports who either majored in or otherwise studied (sometimes at…
Honoring Nohemi Gonzalez
Among the 129 fatalities in the horrific and abominable terrorist attacks in Paris was Nohemi Gonzalez, a student at California State University, Long Beach, who was in Paris on a study abroad semester. Last night, hundreds gathered in Long Beach to honor her memory. The following account is taken from the CSU Long Beach website: …
AAUP Files Amicus Brief in Friedrichs Fee Payer Case
The following is reposted from the AAUP website: On November 13, 2015, the AAUP filed with the American Federation of Teachers an amicus brief before the US Supreme Court arguing that the payment of agency fees by non-members in collective bargaining unions to support union representation is constitutional. The case started when the plaintiffs, sponsored…
Academic Due Process for Non-Tenure-Track Full-Time Faculty Members
The following brief statement, approved by AAUP Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure on October 30, pulls together existing AAUP policies on academic due process for non-tenure-track full-time faculty members after seven years of service. Academic Due Process for Non-Tenure-Track Full-Time Faculty Members* after Seven Years of Service Since its founding in 1915, the…
Margaret Spellings' For-Profit (and Discriminatory) Past
The growing trend toward secret presidential searches and the emerging tendency of governing boards to appoint corporate executives or politicians with no experience in higher education has gained considerable attention on this blog (see for examples the University of Iowa and the University of Missouri, the latter with well-known disastrous consequences). One recent example is…
Missouri and the Corporate University
Bruce Joshua Miller and Ned Stuckey-French have written a splendid piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education that provides further perspective on the recent events at the University of Missouri, most specifically their connection with broader disturbing trends in higher education. The entire piece deserves a reading, but here are some pertinent excerpts: Timothy Wolfe…
On Welders and Philosophers
“For the life of me, I don’t know why we have stigmatized vocational education. Welders make more money than philosophers. We need more welders and less philosophers.” That was Sen. Marco Rubio at last night’s Republican presidential debate. Let’s ignore that Rubio apparently doesn’t know when to use “less” and when to use “fewer.” (I’m…
And Now the Backlash
Anyone who thought that minority student complaints about racism at the University of Missouri, which led to the resignations on Monday of system President Timothy Wolfe and Columbia campus Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin, were exaggerated should check out this account of developments over the past two days from the campus newspaper, The Maneater. “Many students…
Racism and Academic Freedom at Yale
Yesterday’s stunning events at the University of Missouri must be viewed in the context of a much broader movement, led by minority students, to confront persistent racism at many college and university campuses. Even as the movement at Missouri was gathering steam, a similar conflict was brewing at one of the nation’s oldest and most…