A College President Who Is Running for the Senate in Nebraska Is an Over-Achiever Who Is Willing—Perhaps All Too Willing–to Be Perceived as an Idiot

Ben Sasse, the president of Midland College, is the current frontrunner for the Republican nomination to fill an open Senate seat in Nebraska. He has received the endorsements and financial support of just about every major national Republican group worth mentioning. Nonetheless, opposition to his candidacy has become a unifying cause for Tea Party Republicans…

A More Aggressive Department of Labor

It is no secret that organized labor has been under attack, especially in the Midwest and especially since the 2010 elections when Far-Right governors and legislatures were elected in many of those states. Although the margins of victory in many of the individual contests were narrow, the cumulative effect was much more dramatic, and it…

The Ryan Budget, Higher Education, and Political Partisanship

I “periodically” receive e-mails complaining that my posts are sometimes too openly partisan politically. My response to those complaints has been that I have persistently criticized the Department of Education and other Democratic agencies and initiatives that have been seemed to represent a desertion of progressive values. A few of my correspondents have then pointed…

This Is My Idea of a Nightmare—Even If the Cruise Ship Doesn’t Sink, the Toilets Remain Operable, and Some Sort of Rampaging Illness Doesn’t Leave Most of the Passengers Yearning Desperately for Dry Land and Their Own Beds

Anticipating a favorable outcome to the November elections, the National Review is already advertising its post-election cruise. For about $2,000, you can spend a week listening to and rubbing shoulders with the following line-up of “conservative stars”: Former Congressman Col. Allen West, Acclaimed historian Victor Davis Hanson, Former US Senators Jon Kyl and Fred Thompson, Former governors Tim Pawlenty (MN) and Luis…

The Top Issues Facing Higher Education in 2014 and Beyond

Writing for Forbes, John Ebersole, the president of Excelsior College, has identifeid the following ten issues as the most significant issues facing higher education this year: 1. Cost. 2. Renewal of the Higher Education Act. 3. Workforce development. 4. Competency-based education. 5. Accreditation. 6. Assessment. 7. Quality assurance in non-institutional learning. 8. Recognition of the…

Why Won’t President Obama Visit North Dakota?

  In August 2013, the National Journal published an article by Amy Harder that begins: “North Dakota is like an overachieving child who attracts the attention of everyone—except Dad. “The oil boom taking over western North Dakota and transforming America’s energy landscape has prompted visits from people around the world—Germany, Turkey, Japan, Dubai, and elsewhere—to…

Missouri Program Allows Students to Apply University Credits Retroactively toward an Associates Degree

In a recent post, I discussed a dubious proposal put forward in Ohio to award associates degrees to all university students who have simply completed a specified number of credit hours, regardless of the distribution of those credit hours [https://academeblog.org/2014/04/04/kent-state-university-announces-plans-to-increase-dramatically-the-number-of-associates-degrees-that-it-grants/]. A much more reasonable program has been initiated in Missouri, though to date the results…

Higher Education “Reform”: The Price Paid by the Next Generation of Students and Professors

An “On the Issues” Post from the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education [http://futureofhighered.org] _______________ The increasing awareness of—and outrage about–the size of the debt crushing college graduates is, we must hope, a sign that meaningful action to address it may be possible. The numbers alone are staggering.  According to recent reports, the average…

Kent State University Announces Plans to Increase Dramatically the Number of Associates Degrees That It Grants

The Columbus Dispatch recently reported that Kent State University is planning to grant an associates degree to any student who completes 60 credit hours, or about half of the credit hours needed for most baccalaureate degrees. Apparently the university will create a generic associates degree for this purpose. In addition to its main campus in…