By Matt Reed. In grad school and the first few years after, I was a pretty severe skeptic about academic conferences. The major one in my academic field, the APSA, struck me as an inconveniently scheduled, anxiety-generating festival of nametag-gazing. More...

By Matt Reed. Tennessee is blowing the curve for the rest of us. I say that with admitted envy.
It’s expanding its best-in-the-country free community college program to include working adults with some college experience, but without degrees. More...

By Elizabeth Redden. The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools seeks a second chance. Over the years it's accredited some questionable institutions that have been likened to visa mills. More...

By Greg Toppo. For more than a year, the University of Mobile has given faculty and staff members the equivalent of Fridays off, with a 35-hour week (the same number of hours as before) that shifts classes to a Monday-Thursday schedule and encourages students to spend Fridays volunteering, working at internships or mentoring and performing community service. Nonfaculty employees also enjoy four-day schedules but rotate days off. More...