I’m excited to announce that my university has changed its motto. Out with the old and in with: “Omnia Venduntur!” Our old motto, “Disciplina In Civitatem,” or “Education for Citizenship,” just sounded so, you know, land-granty, so civic-minded. It certainly doesn’t capture our new ethos of entrepreneurial dynamism and financial chicanery. Besides, the state legislature […] … learn more→
Monthly Archives: March 2015
Welcome to Ohio State, where everything is for sale
Students pay extra for real skills
I’ll be the first to admit that higher education need not be about job skills, that learning, as an end, is a perfectly legitimate pursuit for a human being. But, I must qualify this: As soon as you take loan money for education, you MUST justify how that education will be used to pay back […] … learn more→
Why you should start an academic writing group
It might be a little weird, but I like to read about the process of writing. Sometimes this might be procrastination, but the more I have gotten the opportunity to speak to others about their writing practices the more I have gained confidence that reading about writing has done me some good. I want to […] … learn more→
How many Moses-es will it take to push back these waters?
Here is a link to a short but very pointed video on how rising ocean levels will affect the coastlines of southern and eastern Asia: http://www.businessinsider.com/asia-earth-ice-melted-rising-ocean-coastline-china-india-2015-3 I doubt that such forecasting or modeling will be appreciated by those who are ideologically opposed to any shift away from our ongoing dependence on fossil fuels. After all, […] … learn more→
How branding 101 can make leaders more mindful of diversity
A few years ago, I overheard two of my MBA students talking after class about their “personal brands.” At the time, I was amused. But then I kept hearing more about this notion of “my brand.” I noticed it was the subject of articles in Forbes and Harvard Business Review. Suddenly, I saw book upon […] … learn more→
The high cost of free College
Usually, the mainstream media has never met a tax or program it didn’t like. It’s never a question of whether we should have some new social program, instead the media presents the question that the reader should decide between “more” or “much more” government involvement. So I was a little surprised when a CBS article, […] … learn more→
When March madness leads to May malaise
Last weekend, college sports fans across the nation celebrated “Selection Sunday” – a day busily spent composing college basketball tournament brackets. Annual bragging rights and the coveted pool of money amassed by friends and coworkers lead to a particularly high level of fanaticism — March Madness. For some, however, the wager is far higher than […] … learn more→
Four more reasons people quit the Ph.D.
After reading (and commenting on) Dr. Mewburn’s recent fantastic article on Why People Quit the Ph.D., I wanted to add four more reasons to her list. As a writing productivity teacher and coach, I frequently see these among graduate students who are stuck. 1) Prior Harsh Rejection While rejection is endemic to work and life, […] … learn more→
To catch a cheat: More on the Pearson problem as our problem
“Cheating by test takers is becoming more common in the United States and throughout the world,” explains T.J. Bliss, adding: In the past year, multiple news agencies have reported several instances of cheating on high-stakes tests. Recently, news broke that doctors in a variety of specialties had cheated to pass certification exams (Zamost, Griffen, & […] … learn more→
Thesis know-how – go direct to the source
It’s not at all uncommon for thesis writers to use secondary sources. This term – using secondary sources – refers to the practice of reading about Text X that is relevant to your work in Text Y, and then referencing it. The reader knows that this has happened because the citation will refer to both […] … learn more→