Replace “technologies” with “reforms” and “economic” with “educational,” in Paul Krugman’s New York Times column today and he could be writing about our schools and colleges. He claims, “the whole digital era, spanning more than four decades, is looking like a disappointment. New technologies have yielded great headlines, but modest economic results. Why?” He goes…
The following article was published originally on the website of the AAUP chapter at the University of Akron, though it appears that the university will soon have a new name—and the article concerns that “rebranding.” The article is reprinted here with the permission of the chapter leadership. ________________________ On Friday, May 15, President Scarborough unveiled…
Earlier this month, two items appeared on the same day on the Chronicle of Higher Education’s website. The first article was written by Charles Huckabee and concerns the decision by Smith College to consider and admit transgender applicants who identify as female. Several years ago, Smith had generated controversy first by rejecting a transgender applicant…
The New York Times has run a follow-up to its investigative report on the business practices of Axact, a Pakistani corporation that has advertised itself as the “largest software exporter” in the country but that has generated millions in annual revenues by selling diplomas and degrees from several hundred elite-sounding secondary schools and postsecondary institutions…
The following is an edited transcript of remarks given by Noam Chomsky via Skype on 4 February 2014 to members of the Adjunct Faculty Association of the United Steelworkers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Robin J. Sowards prepared the transcript and there was additional editing by Noam Chomsky. While our New York-minute society may recoil at a post that…
Stephen J. Lubben has contributed an article on the bankruptcy filing by Corinthian Colleges to the New York Times. Here are some excerpts from the article, titled “Corinthian Colleges’ Lean Business Model Leaves Little for Creditors”: “Corinthian Colleges, the for-profit education company familiar to corporate law professors for its appearance in textbooks about securities regulation,…
The think-tank Demos has done a report on the causes of soaring tuition costs and debt levels for students enrolled at public colleges and universities, and the report is getting some national attention. Here is an excerpt from an article on the CBS News site MoneyWatch: “Thanks to rapidly rising tuition costs, America has a…
Consider what has occurred during an extended period of unprecedented growth in administrative positions and administrative staffing. Our administrations have employed consultants, usually at exorbitant cost, to provide professional guidance on almost every sort of initiative imaginable. Although no one can be have expertise in everything, it seems peculiar, at best, that any major initiative…
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of joining the leadership and some members of the Illinois Conference at their annual meeting in Chicago. I had previously met several of those in attendance, and I had the opportunity to meet in person several others with whom I have corresponded about posts to this blog and…