AAUP President Testifies in Colorado in Support of Legislation That Will Provide Adjunct Faculty with Proportionate Compensation to That Received by Full-Time Faculty

Testimony of Rudy Fichtenbaum, Ph.D. President of the American Association of University Professors Before the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee Representative Su Ryden, Chair February 3, 2014 Good morning Chair Ryden, Vice Chair Salazar, Minority Caucus Chair Conti and distinguished Committee members. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify before your…

Why President Obama Should Start Appointing Actual Educators to Leadership Positions in the Department of Education

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…

On the Issues: “Higher Education Misconceived”

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…

A Glimpse, Perhaps, into the Future of Journalism

There has been a great deal of hand-wringing about the future of journalism in the U.S. Newspapers and general news magazines have been facing an ongoing financial crisis as their subscribers, and the majority of younger readers, look to digital sources for the news and as companies shift their advertising dollars from print media to…

Support the Student Borrowers’ Bill of Rights

We at StudentDebtCrisis.org have just launched a new petition on MoveOn.org.  It’s in support of Rep. Frederica Wilson’s (D-FL) new bill, H.R. 3892 – The Student Borrowers’ Bill of Rights. Sign the petition here: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/restore-basic-consumer?source=c.url&r_by=5462310 The bill seeks to:

What Governing Means in an Increasingly Complex Age

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…

House Hearings on Intellectual Property and the Internet and the Issues Related to “Fair Use”: Part 5, Kurt Wimmer’s Testimony

Kurt Wimmer General Counsel Newspaper Association of America   January 28, 2014 Chairman Goodlatte, Chairman Coble, Ranking Member Conyers, and members of the Subcommittee, good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to appear before you to discuss the scope of “fair use” under the Copyright Act. My name is Kurt Wimmer. I am privileged…

Maryland Joins the Anti-Boycott Bandwagon

The attempt to punish academic groups that support a boycott of Israel is growing beyond New York, with a bill introduced in the Maryland legislature. The AAUP quickly issued a statement condemning these bills: “Legislative interference in academic decision-making and with the freedom of scholars to associate and exchange views with their peers is even…

Doing What You Love

A piece by Nate Kreuter, “More Than Love,” on Inside Higher Ed today alerted me to Miya Tokumitzu’s article “In the Name of Love” for the magazine Jacobin. She writes: There’s little doubt that “do what you love” (DWYL) is now the unofficial work mantra for our time. The problem is that it leads not to salvation,…