When I came across an article in the Sydney Morning Herald on a university course on sex-toy design, I assumed that it was a gimmicky topic to increase student interest in a standard course. I could not have been more wrong. Here are some of the highlights of the article, written by Tom Major: …
Yesterday in an addendum to a post written by Brian Mitchell, I referred to the “charter” university phenomenon, which has led elite public universities to accept much-reduced state subsidy in return for greater autonomy, which has meant in practical terms more aggressive recruitment of out-of-state and international students who pay higher tuition. Writing for the…
University of Alabama Auburn University Boise State University Brandeis University University of California Chicago State University University of the Cumberlands Dartmouth College University of Dayton University of Delaware Note: I recognize that the University of Dayton is in Ohio. In a previous post, I included…
The “right-to-work” states are indicated in red, and the pro-labor states in white: Compare that map with the following maps: __________________________ Previous posts in this series have included: Right to Work by the Numbers, Part 1: Population Growth and Movement: https://academeblog.org/2013/04/03/2666/. Right to Work by the Numbers, Part 2: Immigration: https://academeblog.org/2013/04/21/right-to-work-by-the-numbers-part-2/. Right to Work by…
CNN has reported the following comments made by Donald Trump about the journalists who have been covering his campaign: “Even Donald Trump has limits. “The Republican front-runner–who frequently lambasts the media as ‘scum’ or ‘horrible’–reassured reporters at rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Monday that he had no desire to execute the press who cover…
What is occurring in Maine is the opposite of what has occurred in places where the “charter” university concept has taken hold–most notably Virginia. In those places, elite public universities have accepted lower state subsidies for more institutional “flexibility”–which has meant more aggressive efforts to attract out-of-state and international students who pay higher tuition.…
AAUP President Rudy Fichtenbaum just called my attention to what he called “the best opinion piece I have read in the Chronicle [of Higher Education] in years.” Written by Douglas Anderson, professor of philosophy at Southern Illinois University, “Clear the Way for More Good Teachers” is indeed essential reading. But the modest but brilliant proposal…
Even if your college or university has suffered from excessive administrative in-fighting, I doubt that it has come anywhere close to match the following situation, reported in the Bangkok Post in Thailand: “Assumption University is once again engulfed in chaos due to factional infighting over who has the right to be the university’s rector.…
Each year the University of Cincinnati chapter holds a Solidarity Lunch to which it invites not only its own members but also the members of all of the other unions that represent university employees. At my own university, only the maintenance workers are also unionized, but I think that this sort of “solidarity” event is…