AAUP Concerns Over Pathways Rekindled
Recent events at Queensborough Community College have rekindled the AAUP’s concerns about academic freedom and shared governance in the CUNY system. Read a letter to the chancellor.
Fisher v. Texas, Part Two
Last week, I wrote about the upcoming Supreme Court case Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. I recently attended an event sponsored by the ACLU, discussing the upcoming court term, including this case. There are a few unusual elements to the case that I want to talk about this week. Once again I am…
Q&A: Jacob Rooksby on higher ed patents
Jacob Rooksby is an assistant professor of law at Duquesne University’s law school. His research looks at the intersection of intellectual property law and higher education, and he is a contributor to the newest issue of Academe. His article is “Sue U.” and explores what happens when universities get into the game of developing, licensing, and protecting…
Love It or Leave It: Does ISU’s Code of Student Conduct Violate the First Amendment?
Illinois State University (ISU) has received an undesirable designation: it has been named “Speech Code of the Month” for September by the Foundation for Individual Rights (FIRE), a libertarian organization that criticizes restrictions on student free speech.
Cary Nelson’s Media Strategies
Cary Nelson recently ended a six-year stint as president of the AAUP, and while in the office, he made a priority of media outreach. In “Media Matters,” Nelson’s article in the newest issue of Academe, he gives readers tips on successfully getting the AAUP name and viewpoint into the news and into public awareness. It’s…
Access in the Academy
In the September-October issue of Academe, Stephanie L. Kerschbaum writes that administrators and other leaders can take positive steps to help ensure access for all faculty, before specific needs arise. For example, braille nameplates next to all offices can be the norm, so that faculty who need them will feel included from the start. Kerschbaum also points…
Queensborough Community College: At an Impasse?
Twenty years ago, I was a teacher/administrator at a New York City private school. About halfway through the year, the head of the school asked me to conduct a vote among the faculty. I did so, and took the results back to the chief administrator. He looked at them, shook his head, and said, “No.”…
Fisher v. Texas: A Primer
On October 10, 2012, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, a major affirmative action case that could fundamentally change college admissions for many students. At issue are questions of how schools achieve racial diversity in their student bodies—or if they should even be trying. The…
Interdisciplinarity at Wesleyan
In 2010, Wesleyan University began offering courses and holding events in its new College of the Environment, a new interdisciplinary school and associated think tank. Each school year, the College has a broad theme (the first three were stress and vulnerability, water, and environmental justice) and approaches that subject from a variety of viewpoints. In…
The True Meaning of Redistribution
In response to Mitt Romney’s disastrous declaration to his donors that 47% of Americans are moochers who regard themselves as victims and are unworthy of voting for him, the right has uncovered a 14-year-old video of Barack Obama using the word “redistribution.”