"Tell all the truth but tell it slant": Not in Recommendation Letters? (Girls and Boys Gone Wild in Tweed)

Recent news about a former provost who allegedly touched inappropriately, repeatedly inappropriately, colleagues, got me thinking about a serious and pervasive practice in higher education. This was after some initial sophomoric snickering and thoughts I am sure even the most “serious” academic would have after reading about this case. Letters of recommendation are written to assist…

Old Mentors Never Die . . . or Do They?

This is the time of the year when gymnasiums and lawns all over the country fill with graduates barely able to sit still during ceremonies before they will be set free to go on to do what they want or must in the next phase of their life. This is also a time when faculty…

First God, Now the Vagina

Today’s Inside Higher Ed prominently features an article about faculty complaining about The Vagina Monologues being in part performed at a year’s end celebration ceremony coinciding with commencement at Mercer County Community College. Surely this news is a kick in the pants that we need to consider what really constitutes acceptable ceremonial material. Having alumni…

University President Has Sex Change–Twice

This kind of headline or link would likely get quite a few clicks as members of academe browse the virtual newsstand. Some purists, or are they Puritans, no doubt frown at the Internet habits of successful professionals, but is it really any better to author or consume articles with colons? Are they more serious, even…

Recommendation Letters . . . Okay to "Ghost" Them?

I am certain some of us have found ourselves in this dilemma, especially if we have served in some administrative capacity.  Someone “higher up” or “very high up,” for those of us who have worked in a culture that fosters hierarchical behavior, asks us to write a letter of recommendation on his or her behalf…