The truth about driverless cars lies somewhere in between your mother shouting “not in my lifetime!” over dinner, and big companies promising a revolution tomorrow. A slew of automotive and tech companies have self-driving cars in development. In the ranks are not only Google, but Chinese search engine company Baidu, Mercedes Benz, Audi, BMW, GM, […] … learn more→

This month the NCAA penalized Syracuse University for a number of violations within its athletic department, including academic improprieties. The developments are just the latest in a line of athletics-related scandals that have plagued several institutions in recent times, including one at my own institution. The underlying contention in discussions of all of these misconduct […] … learn more→

Everyone seems to think that college is all about jobs. Even former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, in a column on his blog this past Sunday, “Why College Isn’t (and Shouldn’t Have to be) for Everyone,” writes, “all too often the jobs they land after graduating don’t pay enough to make the degree worthwhile.” That may […] … learn more→

Early this year the Australian Prime Minister, who was under a bit of pressure about a questionable decision at the time, dismissed social media as ‘electronic graffiti’. People in my networks were outraged and, of course, took to social media to express their outrage. For a few days feelings were high, which resulted in a […] … learn more→

The recent decision by the Board of Trustees to close Sweet Briar College raises an important question. Is there a better way to coordinate the findings of ratings groups to assist colleges and universities going forward? What would have happened if Sweet Briar College had worked more closely with a better educated group of internal […] … learn more→

It’s not at all uncommon for doctoral researchers to think about the PhD as a journey. And they generally use the PhD-as-journey as more than a simple metaphor – it becomes a, even THE way of explaining to other people what has and is going on in their candidature. The PhD-as-journey becomes a way of […] … learn more→

When I try to explain to my students this mysterious thing called \”close reading,\” I often use a metaphor. Books are like people, I say. They’re complicated and multilayered, and they take time to get to know. Like people, they’re not always upfront about (or even aware of) their intentions and motivations. You have to […] … learn more→

While our institutions of higher education are failing so badly that even Starbucks is setting up schools for its employees, new “bootcamp” schools are opening up to teach actual relevant job skills to our college graduates. What’s happened? Wayyyy back in the past, a university education and degree was a big deal. To get one, […] … learn more→

The place of religions and belief systems, especially Christianity, in the school curriculum is a sensitive issue provoking much discussion and debate in Australia. The issue came to head in Britain last year with what has been titled the “Trojan Horse affair”. A small number of Islamic schools were investigated about the types of values […] … learn more→

I came across the following list of the “Top Ten Trending Spring Break Destinations.” The folks at Kayak have compiled the list after surveying the number of inquiries made over the past few months to various travel sites. I naturally assumed that most of the destinations would be “beach towns” in Florida, and I was […] … learn more→