I’m generally pro-capitalism—it’s no utopia, but never promises as much, unlike socialism which does, although typically ends in mass murder, and usually begins and operates on mass murder as well…a utopian corpse-filled desert at best. Anyway, capitalism is usually better, but higher education stands in stark contrast to such a claim. “For-profit” colleges are quite […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Capitalism and Higher Education
The push for open access is finally reaching a tipping point
Last week, Norway signed a landmark open access agreement with Elsevier, the world’s largest scientific publisher. It came barely a month after the country cancelled its subscription contract: a step that several other countries and organisations had already taken. In early 2017, a consortium of about 700 German universities and research organisations cut ties with […] … learn more→
University of North Carolina at Charlotte shooting has these things in common with other campus shootings
The April 30 shooting at the University of North Carolina at Charlottefollows a familiar pattern of mass shootings at college campuses in the United States. If authorities better understood these patterns, they may be able to prevent future shootings. We’re a psychologist and sociologist who have been studying mass shooters in order to develop new prevention […] … learn more→
Academic achievement is not the only definition of merit in university admissions
The recent controversy over rich parents buying their children’s admission to elite US universities highlights the popular assumption that academic merit is the only worthy means of discriminating between students when there is a scarcity of university places. However, Australian universities, like those in other countries, have held different ideas about merit over their history […] … learn more→
Here’s how to increase diversity in STEM at the college level and beyond
Jerome Adams is the 20th surgeon general of the United States and former Indiana state health commissioner. Angelique Johnson is a co-founder and CEO of MEMStim, a company that produces implantable electronics to treat brain disorders. Isaac Kinde is the chief scientific officer at PapGene, Inc., a company that sells molecular tests meant to detect cancer early. He is […] … learn more→
State University deliberately failing students?
Time and again I’ve covered state universities where faculty were mandated to pass students in their class, regardless of student performance. Mostly these mandates are for lower level courses—nonexistent entrance requirements let hordes of kids who have no business on campus (not making judgements here!) have little choice but to take only entry-level courses. Failing […] … learn more→
Nigerian universities are suffering from neglect. Why this should stop
The level of funding of the education sector has been recognised as one of the major factors that contribute to quality education. This, in turn, determines growth and development of a country. It’s also been acknowledged that quality education determines the success in achieving the sustainable development goals. As Irina Bokova, the former Director General, UNESCO, said: Quality education, inclusive […] … learn more→
10 essay writing life hacks every College student should know
As a college student, you are asked to write a lot of papers. It’s just a part of the college experience. But you probably don’t know that there are some life hacks that can help you produce better and stronger writing and save you time and effort as you wade through a sea of essays, […] … learn more→
Fund or fail: the fear of a doctoral student
The longstanding “publish or perish” paradigm of academia seems to be dying. In its place, institutions appear to be opting for a new, market-based strategy of advancement through the ranks. No longer will the quality of my work, or even the quantity, directly dictate success. Rather, the extent to which researchers can generate external funding […] … learn more→
Penalize Colleges for bad student loans?
One of the biggest problems with the student loan scam is colleges have no skin in the game—the schools can suck the student in, drain all the student loan money, and spit the student out with no penalty to themselves. That’s pretty much the business plan of half or more of colleges in our country […] … learn more→
