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It turns out that Martin Shkreli endowed an NYU professorship, the Martin Shkreli Professor of Pediatric Nephrology. Current holder is Howard Trachtman who, according to The Huffington Post, “previously served as a consultant at Retrophin, where Shkreli was CEO.” The article goes on to quote NYU spokesperson Lisa Greiner, “We reviewed potential conflicts of interests at each…

Can Reality Be an Oxymoron? (3)

First several higher-ed items: Concordia U Public Safety Director Fired for Masturbating in Office No Phones, Please. This Is a Communications Class   Other Items: 1,900 Killed in Syria during Peace Talks 2nd Order Mistake Leads to Drive-Thru Shooting at Grand Rapids’ McDonald’s Ariana Grande Will Not Be Charged In Donut-Licking Incident Border Patrol in…

NACIQI: Where is the Faculty?

Last week I posted an item about a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) that considered whether the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) — which accredits two-year institutions in California, Hawaii, and the Pacific islands, 95% of which are in California — meets federal regulations for…

The Humbug of Copyright

A couple of days ago, I discovered that ¿Cuánto te Asusta el Caos?: Política, Religión y Filosofía en la obra de Philip K. Dick is available in a new digital edition with a new cover. I’m happy to see it (though no one told me about it), and hope there will also be a new…

Joint Statement by BGSU Administration and BGSU Faculty Association (AAUP Chapter) on Criticism by Buckeye Firearms Association

December 10, 2015 Colleagues, The BGSU Administration and the BGSU Faculty Association are aware that several faculty members have been mentioned in communications by external groups regarding recent Ohio legislative measures. In addition, we are also aware of allegations that several faculty may have violated University policy regarding use of the BGSU email system. We…

Bowling Green Newspaper Editor Fired over Gun-Related Editorial

I recently did a post on an Ohio gun group’s criticism of BGSU faculty and staff who contacted their legislators to oppose campus-carry legislation that has passed the Ohio House and is now being considered by the Ohio Senate: https://academeblog.org/2015/12/01/ohio-gun-group-castigates-bgsu-faculty-for-expressing-opposition-to-campus-carry-legislation/ In a very related story, the editor of the local newspaper, the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune,…

Why Would Academia Be an A-Hole-Free Zone?

This is an addendum to Aaron’s critique of Ranii Neutill’s piece on Salon, “Sixteen Years in Academia Made Me an A-Hole.” Before I was in graduate school and found a library job in the summer to supplement my grad-teaching stipend, I must have had 30 to 40 jobs–everything from being a dishwasher, a soda-jerk, and a…

Sixteen Years, What Do You Get?

One of the advantages of starting an academic career late in life is the understanding of the workplace and of people one brings into the new activities. One of the advantages, also, is that one is unlikely to have grandiose visions of a life in the ivied towers of a research institution. Unless one is…