BY THE AAUP RESEARCH DEPARTMENT This is the third in a series of three blog posts on findings from the AAUP’s Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession. You can read the first post here and the second post here. Much attention has been given—and rightfully so—to the student debt crisis in the…
BY MILES D. MAYER I recently spoke with students and colleagues at Doane University regarding failing leadership in higher education. After many spirited discussions, the conclusion was that in higher education, as in the corporate world, some leaders are taking advantage of the times, making decisions that would otherwise call for discussion and approval of…
POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN The following statement and list of demands is seeking support. For a full list of current signatories and to sign go here. For more coverage of the pending closure of Mills College and the faculty response go here and here. Also, you can watch this powerful video presentation to Mills…
BY HANK REICHMAN Calbright College, California’s ridiculously named and fully online community college, graduated just 12 of its 900-plus students in its first year and saw more than 40% of them drop out, according to a scathing report released May 11 by the California State Auditor. The college, which expects to receive more than $175…
POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN The following press release was submitted by members of the faculty at Mills College. By evening Monday May 3, the voting faculty of Mills College in Oakland, CA voted overwhelmingly to pass a resolution of no confidence (73% voted in favor of the resolution, 16% voted no, and 11% abstained) against…
BY HANK REICHMAN On March 17, President Elizabeth Hillman of Mills College announced that the trustees of the 169-year-old women’s college in Oakland, California, had decided to close admissions after this year and stop conferring degrees no later than Fall 2023, thereby effectively closing the school. According to Hillman, an undefined “Mills Institute” will continue…
BY CAPRICE LAWLESS A hefty third wave of federal funds is headed to higher education, and millions of it to Colorado’s Community College System. Today Pres. Joe Biden signed into law the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The bill includes $40 billion for public higher education. These funds follow the 2020 CARES Act that…
BY SANDRA STEINGRABER The following column by Sandra Steingraber, distinguished scholar in residence in the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences at Ithaca College, appeared in the March 3 edition of The Ithacan. For the past 18 years, I have served as our campus’ scholar in residence, recruited by a previous provost with a vision…
BY DEBORAH CAFIERO During the COVID-19 crisis, the pace of cuts to foreign language departments and programs, already brisk before the pandemic, has accelerated. The devaluation of language study is necessary, so the argument goes, to reduce costs and trim programs that elicit minimal student interest. Besides, English is becoming the lingua franca of the…
BY HELEN SCOTT During this year of crisis, faculty and staff have mustered all our strength and resolve to ensure that the University of Vermont continues to fulfill its central academic and public interest mission. But the university administration is undermining these efforts as they pursue a short-sighted and reckless restructuring plan, justified by an…