I have looked carefully at the backgrounds of the President’s two most recent nominees for upper-level positions related to higher education within the Department of Education. I have absolutely no personal animus against either of these nominees. In fact, they seem like well-intentioned individuals with a strong commitment to public service. But their backgrounds are…
An “On the Issues” Post from the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education [http://futureofhighered.org] _______________ In a recent article, Derek Bok, former President of Harvard University, pinpointed several misconceptions about higher education that are driving our national discussion and policy. He tackles, for instance, the almost exclusive emphasis on college as an agent of…
I subscribe to The Hill’s “Overnight” updates on more than a half-dozen areas of legislative concern. Last night’s updates were revealing in many respects. I’ll focus, in particular, on four of the updates. The “Energy” update described how a Senate committee is looking at the implications of the chemical spill that has affected the water…
Professor Peter Jaszi Washington College of Law American University Washington, D.C. January 28, 2014 FAIR USE NOW I teach copyright law at the American University law school here in DC. For last decade or so, most of my work as a scholar, an activist and (occasionally) a litigator has focused on the…
June M. Besek Executive Director of the Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts and Lecturer-in-Law, Columbia Law School jbesek@law.columbia.edu January 28, 2014, 2:00 p.m. Thank you, Chairman Goodlatte, Chairman Coble, Ranking Member Conyers, and members of the Committee. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is June Besek. I am the Executive Director…
Inside Higher Ed today posted an article by Colleen Flaherty called “Congress Takes Note.” It deals with a new report, “The Just-In-Time Professor: A Staff Report Summarizing eForum Responses on the Working Conditions of Contingent Faculty in Higher Education” from the U.S. “House Committee on Education and the Workforce Democratic Staff.” Its conclusions are all what we have known for…
There are many signs that the slow economic recovery may finally be picking up some steam. Economists are forecasting 4% growth for 2014. Both the official and the actual unemployment numbers have been declining, albeit very incrementally, month after month and are finally approaching levels that could be impacted meaningfully by targeted jobs programs—if, of…
Last year, Paul Broun, a congressman from Georgia, was the featured speaker at a Sportsman’s Banquet at a Baptist church. I’m not sure what the keynote speakers at those banquets usually talk about, but Broun used his time at the microphone to observe, infamously, that embryology, evolution, and the Big Bang Theory are “lies straight…
What follows is a list of U.S. states by GDP and GDP per capita in 2010. The “right to work” states are indicated in boldface. Rank GDP Pct. of US Pop. GDP Per Rank Per Total GDP (000’s) GDP (Millions) Capita Capita United States 14,657,800 100.00 308.7 47,482 1 California 1,936,400 13.34 37.3 51,914 11…
This is another item that I am re-posting from Futility Closet (www.futilitycloset.com). It is re-posted with the permission of Greg Ross, who maintains the site. You can have daily updates from the site delivered to your e-mail each morning. ______________ In Mathematical Applications of Political Science, University of Minnesota political scientist William Riker describes a worrisome…