Student Op-Ed on Koch “Gifts”

  This is a letter written by George Mason sophomore Mark Hammond to the George Mason student newspaper, The Fourth Estate. For some reason, that newspaper never published it on its website; so he has given permission to Connor Gibson, a co-founder of the group Un-Koch My Campus, to disseminate it. _________________________ “Last fall, when…

Waste, Job Creation, and Higher Ed

  The following paragraphs are from an article written by Sharon Dell for University World News Global Edition, “South Africa: Universities of Technology Eye Rich Prospects in Waste”: “South African universities of technology are positioning themselves as critical partners in what is considered a fairly new but highly relevant area of research, innovation and job…

OCAAUP Testimony on “Reforms” Ostensibly Intended to Increase Access and Affordability

  Testimony of Stephen Mockabee, Ph.D. Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors before the House Finance Higher Education Subcommittee Representative Mike Duffey, Chair May 19, 2016   Chairman Duffey, Ranking Member Ramos, and distinguished members of the House Finance Higher Education Subcommittee: My name is Steve Mockabee, and I am an Associate…

'Punch with Care'

BY AARON BARLOW Every discipline falls into a pattern of standard practice; every few years each must reassess. The same is true for the institutions that house them. This happens, of course, too rarely—in both cases. Over the weekend, I read two pieces—an essay and a book review—that made me think about the staleness that…

Real Innovation, Not Corporate Modeling

If your institution has implemented RCM budgeting, you know that one of the main casualties of the model is interdisciplinary studies, especially across colleges. And given that most cutting-edge innovation is coming out of just those kinds of interdisciplinary study, the corporate management model is actually undermining one of the most significant ways in which…