The Time Is Ripe for Competency-Based Higher Ed Competency-based programs have been around for decades, in small numbers, providing plenty of lessons for schools looking to implement new programs. Perkins Loan Program Dies as Alexander Blocks Funding Bill An extension to the program passed in the House, but Alexander blocked its advance out of the…
The following message is from Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH): Monday, January 18th is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day—an opportunity for us to reflect on the life and work of Dr. King, who devoted himself to making this country a better place. Dr. King left behind a legacy of activism and civil disobedience, fighting for civil…
Howard Bunsis sends the following message to his students at Eastern Michigan University to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is worth sharing with all of our students: As you know, there are no classes Monday, due to the Martin Luther King holiday. Given the events in our country over the last year, the celebration…
Writing for Westword, Alan Prendergast reports that “Colorado Community College Profs Seethe over Low Pay, Lame Raise.” Here are the opening paragraphs of the article: “In a part-timer economy, fast-food workers and janitors aren’t the only ones feeling the pinch. Skimpy wages, long hours and a lack of benefits can also be found in the…
These are the contributions from higher educational institutions and individuals employed by them to the presidential candidates up to October 31, 2015. The totals include contributions from public and private, as well as non-profit and for-profit, institutions. Typically, for-profit institutions have been among the “industries” that have spent the most on lobbying, but thus far…
This is an op-ed contributed to The News Record, the student newspaper at the University of Cincinnati, by Stephanie Spanja, director of research at the University of Cincinnati chapter of the American Association of University Professors. _________________________ Even though universities try to make the world a better place through research and education, money still makes…
Writing for In These Times, Lauren Gurley has attempted to explain “Why the Left Isn’t Talking about Rural American Poverty.” Here is how Gurley frames her discussion: “Within the popular American conscience—arguably a close reflection of the mainstream media—there are two favored focal points for discussing the problem of poverty. The first is within the…
A satire with that title has been written by Patricia Marx for the New Yorker. Here is the headnote: “Something strange is happening at America’s colleges and universities. A movement is arising, undirected and driven largely by students, to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense.” —the…
In an article titled “Beware of the Professor” published in Times Higher Education [24 Sep. 2015], Matthew Reisz has detailed the “eccentric things” that academics “pin on their office doors.” I know that the topic of the article is fast becoming anachronistic because many institutions now strictly control what can be put on doors and…
