Last week I had to give a very short talk about my top tips for early career publishing. In very abbreviated form, here are the first three things I said about some important scholarly practices that underpin successful writing and publishing. Be writerly. By this I mean to say that you need to think of […] … learn more→

It takes little effort to realize that what’s going on in higher education today: instead of focusing on education, our universities and colleges instead focus on growth. More students, more buildings, more, more, more, moremoremore. Administrators believe everyone should be in school, always and forevermore. Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe human beings should, […] … learn more→

Let me tell you a story about a friend, let’s call him Todd. Todd used to work in an academic ‘think tank’ run by a famous professor, let’s call him Kenny. Kenny always tasked Todd with a series of high stakes, last minute projects. Todd always delivered on these projects, even though it caused him […] … learn more→

Almost 800 business, engineering, education, and health services students completed a fairly typical plagiarism survey. They were asked how strongly they agreed with a statement defining plagiarism as copying text and inserting it in a paper without citing the source. They were asked how often they engaged in this specific behavior. As in many other […] … learn more→

On the heels of its inaugural football season in the Big Ten Conference, the University of Maryland announced bold plans: The Board of Regents’ Finance Committee unanimously agreed to move forward with construction of a new building that would transform Cole Field House, an old basketball arena turned student activities center, into a “dynamic hub […] … learn more→

The Twittersphere is abuzz about the news on Monday that ISIS or their affiliates are suspected of hacking and compromising the US Central Command’s official Twitter account. As of Monday afternoon in the US, the US Centcom’s Twitter and YouTube accounts were shut down. There will be considerable discussion about the impact, embarrassment and damage […] … learn more→

In a recent blog in the Washington Post, Max Ehrenfreund suggests that private colleges are a waste of money for white, middle class kids. He asks: “Is it worth unloading your life’s savings or having your child take on tens of thousands of dollars in student loans?” Mr. Ehrenfreund notes the disparity in the average […] … learn more→

So, last time I looked at ASU’s plan for the suckers they talked into higher education: sacrifice their future for the opportunity to do more work for the same pay. It’s good to look at the comments section of these kinds of pieces, to see what real people have to say about administration’s amazing plans. […] … learn more→

I’ve been struggling a bit to come up with good post ideas this new year (I’ve had a lot of work on my plate, among other things), and so I’ve decided to go back to basics: to writing some of the kinds of posts that initially inspired this blog—posts that relate some of the experiences […] … learn more→

This past Friday night was the 25th time that the American Dialect Society (ADS) has voted for the Word of the Year. We were reminded at the beginning of the meeting that this makes it only the 24th anniversary, so no champagne yet. … It was, as usual, a lively gathering, with standing room only […] … learn more→