The Campaign for the Future of Higher Education [http://futureofhighered.org/ ] is a loose association of the major faculty unions and faculty associations in the United States. These groups have come together several times each year to share information on issues affecting high education and to shape responses to those issues that emphasize the paramount importance…
In an attempt to rein in rising tuition and skyrocketing debt President Obama has announced a plan for performance based funding for higher education. Under his plan colleges would be rated on affordability, graduation rates and earnings of graduates. While we applaud the President for raising concerns over rising tuition and student debt, concerns that…
This post has been written by Jeff Kolnick. a professor of history at Southwest Minnesota State University. _______________ The fall semester is an exciting time to be a college professor. The spring semester has its charms with the promise of summer and the thrill of graduation, but for me, the start of the school year is…
This seems to be the day for infographics. What follows has just been released by the White House: Although President Obama may be very well-intentioned in his continuing determination to forge some sort of bi-partisan agreements, this plan simply incorporates the major features of the proposals being put forward by those most interested in gutting…
While Riley Cooper Was Getting Drilled, a College President Largely Got a Pass Earlier this summer, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper became the unceasing focus of media attention because while he was attending a Kenny Chesney concert, he got into an altercation with an African-American security guard and used the “N-word.” The incident probably…
Over the past six months or so, I have saved the following headlines. I think that they justify the title of this post. _______________ 1,000 California Foster Care Homes Match Sex Offender Addresses Are We Going to Become Allies of al-Qaeda “Bea Arthur Naked,” John Currin Painting, Auctioned for $1.8 Million Body Slamming Piglets to…
In June, Moody’s released a report on the likely impact of MOOCs on the credit ratings of American colleges and universities. The headline in the relatively brief article on the report in the Chronicle of Higher Education, “Moody’s Says MOOCs Could Raise a University’s Credit Rating,” was, I think, rather misleading. For I think that…
The following is another item that I am re-posting from Futility Closet (www.futilitycloset.com). It is re-posted with the permission of Greg Ross, who maintains the site. You can have daily updates delivered to your e-mail each morning. _______________ Unusual dissertation titles from the University Microforms International dissertation database: Electrical Measurements on Cuticles of the American…
Let me begin with a broad observation. When Republican politicians are caught up in sexual scandals, the emphasis in the resulting commentary is typically on their hypocrisy. In contrast, when Democrats are caught up in such scandals, the emphasis is usually on the salaciousness of their behavior. This may seem like a distinction without a…