BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL Writing in a recent front-page story in the Boston Globe, Deirdre Fernandez reported that Merrimack College “has recalibrated its approach to move away from the traditional liberal arts offering – and the strategy is working.” Ms. Fernandez noted that Merrimack is among a handful of small private colleges that have avoided drastic…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL Many of us in higher education have long been proponents of “laboratory” initiatives in the humanities, social sciences, professional and graduate programs that translate academic learning into real world experience. These initiatives serve a variety of purposes. They make critical inquiry more pragmatic. Most colleges and universities build their academic program…
BY KELLY HAND Two articles in the new January-February 2016 issue of Academe urge faculty to consider their ethical obligations within and beyond their academic communities. In her article, “Liberal Arts in the Modern University,” Lorna Fitzsimmons discusses the liberal arts as an antidote for social change and fragmentation. Offering the example of identity theft…
This is a guest post by Vicki L Baker, a contributor, along with co-author Peter Boumgarden, to the September-October issue of Academe. She is associate professor of economics and management at Albion College, where she teaches management, organizational behavior, and leadership courses. As a business educator who has been in higher education for nearly 12 years, I am always seeking opportunities to…
The other night I decided to take in some Bergman. I had a few choices, thanks to Amazon’s instant video streaming service. It made it possible for me to avoid my old standby, “The Seventh Seal” (“Det sjunde inseglet”). While it does feature a young, gaunt, and very Nordic looking Max von Sydow, whose hair…