BY MARTIN KICH During the 1964 presidential campaign, the Johnson campaign ran a four-minute television ad called “Confessions of a Republican.” In the ad, a man who purports to be a lifelong Republican explains why he cannot vote for Barry Goldwater. More than a half-century later, this ad is going viral because it seems to…
Today, the Campus Faculty Association at the University of Illinois (which is affiliated with the AFT and the AAUP) is holding a protest at 11am to spotlight the devastating impact of the state budget crisis on higher education across Illinois. Here is the event announcement: On March 11, students, staff, and faculty from public colleges…
In 1927, Professor Louis R. Gottschalk resigned his position at the University of Louisville to protest the dismissal of his colleague Rolf Johannesen. Simultaneously with his resignation, Gottschalk wrote to the AAUP to request an investigation of Johannesen’s dismissal. The newly-installed president, George Colvin, justified the dismissal by citing Johannesen’s reluctance to sign the one-year…
For all but two of the titles there are links to the reviews in The Guardian and to the authors’ biographies in Wikipedia. A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa (Angola), translated by Daniel Hahn and published by Harvill Secker. The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante (Italy), translated by Ann…
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…
The AAUP issued this statement today after the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents adopted a new policy weakening tenure protections. Tenure in Wisconsin It is now clear that the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents has adopted a policy that provides weaker protections of tenure, and thus of academic freedom, than what has…
BY HANK REICHMAN With the countdown to what would be the largest strike of university faculty in U.S. history ticking away, California Faculty Association (CFA) leaders rebuked Chancellor Tim White and CSU Trustees Tuesday for failing to resolve the contract dispute with their faculty. The Trustees’ meeting March 8 and 9 was the last public…
March 4 was World Book Day [See: https://academeblog.org/2016/03/05/world-book-day/]. It was also National Grammar Day. National Grammar Day was established by Martha Brockenbrough, author of “Things That Make Us [Sic]” (2008) and founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. The celebration of National Grammar Day was, somewhat surprisingly, given an official endorsement by President…
March 8 was International Women’s Day, and here is a review of a bunch of items of interest. The daily newsletter from the Brookings Institute was devoted to topics related to women’s issues: Julia Gillard address the question “What Does International Women’s Day Mean for the Future of Gender Equality? [http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/education-plus-development/posts/2016/03/07-international-womens-day-gender-equality-gillard?utm] Richard V. Reeves…
BY KELLY HAND Two weeks ago, we asked Academe Blog readers to share their thoughts about the blog by completing a short survey. We know from our stats that thousands of you are reading the blog each week, but we want to know more about you and your interests. Thanks to all of you who completed the…