BY MARTIN KICH On March 30, Shirley Hufstedler, the nation’s first Secretary of Education, died at age 90. Before and after her public service as a member of President Carter’s cabinet, Hufstedler had a very distinguished career as an attorney and as a judge. Her many accomplishments are highlighted in the New York Times obituary,…
BY AARON BARLOW Yesterday, for April Fools Day, I posted Gig University, an only slightly satiric look at where some people would like higher education to head. It presents a reductivist vision of humanity and human possibilities. We—or, at least, the masses of us—become nothing more than material to be processed or cogs to fit…
There’s no point in continuing college and university structures as they have existed for over a century. They’re too expensive, inefficient and poorly focused. An entire culture has built up around them, including assumptions about the experience, the faculty and the outcome. These can all be swept away without materially affecting the quality of instruction…
The following resolution was approved by the Academic Senate at the University of Texas, Dallas. The AAUP this month published for comment an extensive draft report prepared by a joint subcommittee of Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure and the Committee on Women in the Profession on “The History, Uses, and Abuses of Title…
The following statement signed by AAUP President Rudy Fichtenbaum and First Vice-President Henry Reichman was released today, March 30. The American Association of University Professors does not normally take positions on alleged violations of or threats to academic freedom outside the United States, both because we are hesitant to impose our standards on others, whose…
“John Kasich Came in Fourth In A Three-Man Race Last Night” [RedState] “Kasich Lost to Rubio’s Ghost in Arizona” [CNN] Explanation: Many votes in the Arizona primary were cast early, before the Florida primary concluded and before Rubio suspended his campaign. “At Least Two of Five Women Deny National Enquirer Claims” [Ted Cruz…
Statement of Solidarity with SENS‐UAW & GWC‐UAW and Their Recognition Petitions at the NLRB The following statement was issued March 29 by the AAUP Committee on Graduate and Professional Students. The AAUP Committee on Graduate and Professional Students commends graduate student workers at both Columbia University and the New School for their efforts to overturn the…
Statement on “Academic Analytics” and Research Metrics The following statement was approved by the Executive Committee of the AAUP Council at its March meeting: Recently a number of colleges and universities have contracted with independent private companies to provide allegedly “objective” quantitative information about faculty scholarly “productivity.” Among the most prominent of these “metrics providers”…
As women’s history month draws to a close, it seems important to highlight this sort of list. To accompany Frank Rich’s essay on Carol, the Todd Haynes adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s classic lesbian novel, New York invited 28 people to share a specific piece of lesbian cultural history that moved them most. Here are their answers. Spring Fire by Vin…
BY ZACHARY R. WOOD Guest blogger Zachary R. Wood is a student at Williams College. Yesterday, Ferentz Lafargue wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post, arguing that student objection to bringing speakers with offensive views to campus is a sign of strength. In the piece, Lafargue makes several points with which I concur: “Students whose families…