This is a republish of this article. “See that big thing with the hairy mane? Don’t go near that, it will eat you!” –advice from adult to child on the Serengeti, to avoid lions. This is really all the explanation a child needs, at least at first. A discussion of biology, the need for the […] … learn more→

Editors note: I have not published the exact words for the workshop because Google would badly damage our rankings. I think most will know the words used. I can’t believe I have the phrase “a… s..” in a title of a blog posting about higher education, especially since I’m not talking about Penn State … […] … learn more→

This is a repost of this article Many is the time I’ve mentioned what tenure has turned into at many of our institutions of higher education. Tenure used to be a reward for scholarship, a seal that the professor was a legitimate researcher, and that he should have protection, so that he need no longer […] … learn more→

This is a repost of this article Cambridge University Press has decided not to publish a book about corruption in Russia by Karen Dawisha out of fears that British libel law would leave it vulnerable to litigation. In response to the letter from Cambridge University Press, Dawisha wrote the following open letter. Thank you for […] … learn more→

This is a repost of this article On Sunday I received an email from Coursera letting me know that the Signature Track was now available for Cathy Davidson’s MOOC, “History and Future of (Mostly) Higher Education.” I felt myself tense up a little. The Signature Track, for those who aren’t familiar with it, uses multiple […] … learn more→

This is a republish of this article. Higher education has a long and fraught relationship with the labor market. From colonial colleges training clergymen to the Morrill Act, normal schools, and the great 20th-century expansion of mass higher education, colleges have always been in the business of training people for careers. The oldest university in […] … learn more→

This is a republish of this article. I apologize for the hyperbole in the title, since it’s not particularly true today. But the trend in higher education is such that it will be true soon enough. People are indebting themselves for the rest of their lives for higher education, they should know just a bit […] … learn more→

This is a republish of this article. “You will fail. You will never get a job.” “You are the intellectual equivalent of the starving artist, doomed to working in bars and cafes, scratching away at your chosen academic research in rare moments between menial jobs that pay the rent.” If you read as many PhD […] … learn more→

This is a republishing of this article So last time I discussed an article on the Pell Grant scam, where students can register in college after college, getting a new Pell Grant each time, and taking home whatever is left over from tuition. Somehow, the colleges don’t keep records on students, and so that’s why […] … learn more→

Bright stars top Christmas trees in Christian homes around much of the world. The faithful sing about the Star of Wonder that guided the wise men to a manger in the little town of Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. They’re commemorating the Star of Bethlehem described by the Evangelist Matthew in the New Testament. Is […] … learn more→