Michelle Obama’s 2014 Commencement Address at Dillard University

We are entering another season of commencement addresses. Given the unrest in many African-American communities over this past year, as well as the financial challenges being face by many HBCUs, Michelle Obama’s 2014 commencement address at Dillard University seems as timely now as it did then—perhaps all the more so. _________________________ UNO Lakefront Arena New…

The Current Either-Or Choice in “Solutions” to Poverty

Aaron Barlow’s post highlights a major difference between how Progressives and those on the Far Right have sought to address endemic poverty. Progressives have been accused, sometimes with much justification, of being willing to waste millions on wrong-headed “solutions” to poverty. On the other hand, the Far Right has essentially ignored solutions and has turned…

Let’s Stop Blaming “Culture” for Poverty

“Rich families are all alike; every poor family is poor in its own way.” Writers on poverty in America might want to inscribe this over their computers. Even those should who, like David Brooks, are anxiously awaiting “a thinker who can describe poverty through the lens of social psychology.” For that’s not going to help.…

The Limitations of Simple Solutions to Complex Problems: Degree Attainment in Indiana

Writing for the Indianapolis Business Journal, J. K. Wall has reported: “Indiana’s public colleges and universities, spurred by pressure from state lawmakers, are pumping out more graduates than ever. “But in spite of a 20-percent increase in degrees granted since 2010, the education level of Indiana’s younger adults has barely budged, for reasons that aren’t…

New Issue of the Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy, Part 2

The most recent issue of the Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy is available at http://thekeep.eiu.edu/jc. The issue includes two op-eds and four articles. Here are excerpts from the second through fourth articles: Hicks, Steve (2014) “Post-Recession CBAs: A Study of Wage Increases in the Agreements of Four State-wide Faculty Unions,” Journal of Collective…