Kasich’s State of the State Remarks on Higher Ed
In the midst of his presidential campaigning, Governor Kasich came back to Ohio to deliver his annual state of the state address. What follows are the parts of the speech related to higher education: For some, it means that professional certification or training in specialized vocational skills that I mentioned, but for others it…
“Right to Work” Ruled Unconstitutional in Wisconsin
In ruling on a lawsuit brought by three labor unions, Dane County Circuit Judge William Foust has ruled that Wisconsin’s “right to work” statute is unconstitutional because it “amounts to an unconstitutional governmental taking of union funds without compensation since under the law unions must represent people who don’t pay dues” and “that presents an…
How to Misuse State Funding When There Is None
Huffington Post has published an article by Tyler Kingkade with the headline: “Tennessee Lawmakers Consider Bill That Could Chill Free Speech.” It is not an especially shocking headline because we have now become very used to the reality that the Far Right sees no hypocrisy in defining unlimited corporate political contributions as the exercise of…
Federal Allocations to Education for 2017
Lost in all of the attention to this year’s “unusual” presidential campaign has been a looming budget battle. The legislature has signed off on an agreement to fund the government through the end of the year, but that agreement does not mean that there will be much consensus on how the funding will be allocated.…
“Thucydides” on Higher-Ed Funding
This “over the transom” piece is from a colleague who has chosen the pseudonym “Thucydides.” It owes a considerable debt—is in many respects an homage–to the legendary Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko. _________________________ Moose McGillicuddy wiped down the bar at his tavern. Moose’s was a typical downtown Ohio bar. Politicians, college students, construction workers, and…
More on the Candidates’ Positions on Education Issues
Education Dive has published a web page that includes the views of the remaining six presidential candidates on four education-related issues: Common Core, School Choice, College Affordability, and Free Community College. If you go to the page, you will see that there are four sections, and if you click on the bar at the bottom…
New Alliance Defends CUNY
BY HANK REICHMAN “CUNY is for the People” read some of the signs at a highly-charged rally outside New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s midtown office in New York City yesterday. Organized by a new and broad coalition, CUNY Rising Alliance, the rally kicked off a community-based campaign to demand increased public investment in the City…
The Candidates’ Positions on Higher-Ed Issues
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administration (NASFAA) is maintaining a list of positions on higher-education issues taken by all of the presidential candidates in this election cycle, including those who have suspended their campaigns. The list, which seems to be updated regularly, is available here. Even a cursory glance through the list will…
Electing A President Without Facts
BY KELLY WILZ “We need media literacy as much as we need to learn to read.”- Jennifer Pozner “The world will not be a better place when these fact-based news organizations die. We will be propelled into a culture where facts and opinions will be interchangeable, where lies will become true and where fantasy will…