Thenceforward and Forever Free
By Scott McLemee. Reading the Emancipation Proclamation for the first time is an unforgettable experience. Nothing prepares you for how dull it turns out to be. Ranking only behind the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in its consequences for U.S. history, the document contains not one sentence that has passed into popular memory. Read more...
The Archive Is Closed
By Scott McLemee. Five years ago, this column looked into scholarly potential of the Twitter archive the Library of Congress had recently acquired. That potential was by no means self-evident. The incensed “my tax dollars are being used for this?” comments practically wrote themselves, even without the help of Twitter bots. Read more...
Faculty Roles: The Next Diversity Frontier
By Judith Shapiro. There are important issues around diversity -- notably in terms of ethnicity/race, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation and gender -- that have been of concern to institutions of higher education for a while now. The progress made in these areas may be less than impressive, but they have a conspicuous place on our radar screens. Read more...
An Obscene Use of $400 Million
By Walter M. Kimbrough. I have been a college president for over a decade now. During my career I’ve not shied away from using the bully pulpit to address a number of issues. This includes questioning obscene gifts wealthy individuals have given to obscenely wealthy universities that primarily serve an obscenely wealthy student body. Read more...
Depressing Realities
By Rachel Adams. As I got ready to turn in my spring semester grades this week, I was depressed to realize I would have to fail two students who hadn’t finished the work in my classes. Read more...
Lingua Franca for Credentials
By Paul Fain. Credentialing has exploded in type and number in recent years, as job seekers earn a growing range of certificates, badges, experiential transcripts, industry certifications and licenses, in addition to traditional college degrees. Read more...
Christie Opposes Free Higher Ed
By Scott Jaschik. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, an undeclared candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, used a speech at Iowa State University Thursday to attack the idea (gaining ground in Democratic circles) of free higher education. And he got in a few digs at college spending. Read more...
Impact of Pell Surge
By Kellie Woodhouse. Federal spending has surpassed state spending as the main source of public funding in higher education, and the primary reason is a surge in Pell Grants in the last decade. Read more...
Global Approach to Ending Poverty
By Jacqueline Thomsen. Anyone beginning a career as an academic has extensive hurdles to overcome, whether it's becoming familiar with hundreds of papers on relevant topics, digging through and analyzing decades of research, or learning how to make significant contributions to the field. Read more...
Remediation for Job Seekers
By Paul Fain. In recent years a wide range of companies have sprung up to help fix the so-called skills gap -- the gulf between what employers need and what college graduates can do. Read more...
