Next Berkeley Chancellor Must Rebuild Trust

POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN “We need a chancellor who will not be engaged in the doublespeak of proclaiming UC Berkeley’s preeminence as a public university while simultaneously insisting on marketizing every aspect of its existence. We need a chancellor who does not believe that the negative impact on educational access and the quality of our…

Higher Ed as a Public Good

BY MARTIN KICH University Business has published an article that initially caught my eye because of its title–“A Pillar of the American Dream: Higher Education as a Public Good.” But what really caught my eye was the list of co-authors: Lloyd A. Jacobs is president emeritus and professor at the University of Toledo; Janine E.…

Chicago Teachers Warn of Strike

POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN The following is a partial transcript of Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis’ remarks at a news conference yesterday in response to the new Chicago Public Schools budget: I am Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union. I am joined by fellow officers, Vice President Jesse Sharkey and Financial Secretary…

Not Just Students Are Leaving Illinois

POSTED BY MARTIN KICH In an article for Crain’s Chicago Business, Steven R. Strahler reports on the growing exodus of faculty from Illinois public universities and colleges. In some cases, the faculty have been forced to look for positions elsewhere after being furloughed in response to budget shortfalls. But in most instances, the faculty have…

More on the Illinois Budget Battle and Higher Ed

POSTED BY MARTIN KICH These are the opening paragraphs of an article written by Elizabeth Campbell for Bloomberg News, titled “Illinois Colleges Besieged by Cuts as Budget Battle Trickles Down”: “For Illinois’s colleges and universities, the end of a record-long political fight over the budget isn’t bringing the financial consequences to a close. “Southern Illinois…