The University of Sydney on Monday announced plans to shift undergraduate degrees from three to four years as part of a major overhaul of instruction, The Sydney Morning News reported. University officials said that more time was needed to promote critical thinking and other key skills. Read more...

The Supreme Court on Monday delivered a narrow ruling in a case concerning threats made on social media, dodging the larger questions about the First Amendment implications of online speech. In a 7-2 vote, the court ruled threats made online can't land someone in prison merely if a "reasonable person" -- a common legal standard -- takes them seriously. Read more...

A group representing the seven regional accrediting agencies has developed a common framework for assessing and approving competency-based education programs proposed by their member institutions. The Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions, known as C-RAC, released the framework for the emergent form of higher education program late Monday. Read more...

By Aisha Langford. The ability to have difficult conversations is important for career success, productivity and relationships in almost every field, and higher education is no exception. However, despite the need to have these conversations, the idea of addressing sensitive issues can be scary. This article provides strategies for having difficult conversations and gives example scripts. Read more...

By Greg Colón Semenza and Garrett A. Sullivan Jr. A number of books have focused on the questions of getting a job, negotiating office politics and other work issues for academics. Far less attention has been paid to the issue of how to construct a life around whatever job you happen to have. We’ve recently tried to address this omission by publishing How to Build a Life in the Humanities: Meditations on the Academic Work-Life Balance. Read more...

By Thomas Ayers and Karen Goldstein. Like most campus administrators in higher education today, chief business officers are expected to handle a significantly wider-ranging role, work with a much more diverse set of constituents and possess a broader set of skills than ever before. Read more...

By Kerry Ann Rockquemore. Thanks for your thoughts on using Twitter. While I feel clear about the guidelines for my social media use, you’ve got me concerned about whether or not I have sponsors in my department. I have a mentoring committee in my department, my dissertation adviser continues to be a mentor to me and I participate in three different mentoring programs outside of my department (one in my college and two in my broader discipline). Read more...

By Brian Rosenberg. The editorial pages of The New York Times seem to have become the destination of choice for people who want to say uninformed things about American higher education. Let me rephrase that slightly: They have become the destination of choice for people who want to say uninformed things that are designed to get readers angry at American higher education, which I presume is why The Times keeps them coming. In today’s America, anger sells. Read more...

By Charles Green. I’m a liberal white faculty member, and I have a confession: I have no idea why other liberal white faculty members claim to be so afraid of their liberal students. In the past few months, anonymous (and sometimes not) white professors have started airing these fears, or re-airing them, as they are reminiscent of old complaints. Read more...

By Sue Cunningham. For many institutions, a significant gift that advances the mission is an aspirational achievement, one that can impact many lives for the good, both on the campus and far beyond. Read more...