Forty-eight prominent US university presidents have written to Donald Trump urging him to rescind his controversial executive order, introduced on 27 January, which bars immigrants and non-immigrant visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. Since the order was signed, US universities and universities around the world have condemned Mr Trump, describing the travel ban as […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Trump travel ban is ‘dimming the lamp of liberty’
Voice and thinkingwriting
You have probably heard, or read, that writing is thinking. But what does writing is thinking really mean? Anything? Nothing? Well, it doesn’t mean that you have to write in order to think, because of course you can think without writing. We think without writing all the time. So if it’s not that, what is it? […] … learn more→
Kansas U gets the finger
The first year of college, the freshman year, is the worst. I’ve seen many a good student (including the valedictorian in my high school class) come to campus, and, given no direction by rapacious admin, get sucked into the party atmosphere…drinking (or worse) away their chance at an education. They throw away their first semester, […] … learn more→
Six ways to stop boys being left behind in the classroom
In UK school exams – GSCEs and A-levels – girls outperform boys in nearly all subjects. The STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – are the only subjects in which boys can often still score the same as girls in GCSEs. And this trend continues well after school, with more girls taking A-levels […] … learn more→
US universities ‘dangerously isolated from society’
A fine tradition in the United States is the annual visit of the current American Nobel laureates to meet the US president in the Oval Office – an event that takes place between the announcements in October and the ceremonies in Stockholm in December. In 2015, I was one of four Americans to be so […] … learn more→
Trump’s immigration ban: Will it undercut American soft power?
The Trump administration moved over the weekend to ban all immigration from seven Muslim nations, including stopping the entry of students and scholars with valid study and work visas from those countries. A large number of students come to study in the United States from these nations: Iran ranks 11th on the list of countries […] … learn more→
Going back to school again – a shopping list
All over Australia, new PhD students are beginning their studies – welcome! Starting something new can be hard. Connecting with your new community can make it so much easier. world.edu is an online community, but of course you will have your local community too, in your school or faculty. If you are new to ANU, […] … learn more→
Managing the #phd- keep a reading journal
Reading is integral to research. Everyone says that, and it’s true. It’s also true that you need to find ways to read, note and keep track of all that reading. This is in part a question of tools and strategies. But tools and strategies are necessary but not sufficient. You need to make sense of […] … learn more→
In the face of Trump’s Muslim ban, all academics have a responsibility to act
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order preventing nationals of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya and Somalia from entering the US. Syrian refugees are indefinitely banned, and other refugees are banned for 120 days. It’s not clear what comes next. During his campaign, Trump also stated his intention to remove all 11 million […] … learn more→
Singing “California Girls” = Sexual harassment
Having been part of, and victimized by, the kangaroo campus court system, I nevertheless am perpetually amazed at just how bizarrely it runs, from how piffling the “crimes” are that merit convictions, to how far reaching the penalties can be. Of particular interest to the kangaroo court system are sex related cases. Before moving on, […] … learn more→
