Author Profile

Richard DeMillo

Richard DeMillo is Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Management and director of the Center for 21st Century Universities at Georgia Tech. He has been on the faculties of Purdue University, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Padua, but he has divided his career among academia, industry and government. He directed the Computer Research Division at the National Science Foundation and was Hewlett-Packard's first chief technology officer. His most recent book is Abelard to Apple: The Fate of American Colleges and Universities, published in 2011 by MIT Press.

Articles by Richard DeMillo

The Accelerating Pace of Change in Higher Education

Feb 8, 2017 · Richard DeMillo · 2 Comments

Judging from recent books, articles, and editorials, higher education is poised for a cataclysmic collapse. There is a considerable body of opinion that systemic problems such as runaway tuition, student debt, low graduation rates and pervasive elitism are so wired into the collective culture of college faculty and administrators that only drastic and disruptive measures … Continue reading “The Accelerating Pace of Change in Higher Education”

Accreditation–or Real Quality Assurance?

Jan 16, 2013 · Richard DeMillo · No Comments

Higher education still relies on a weak accreditation system, but something better will replace it.

Taylor Walsh’s “Unlocking the Gates” of Academe

Feb 22, 2012 · Richard DeMillo · No Comments

Let’s party like it’s 1995.

Reforming College Sports

Jan 20, 2012 · Richard DeMillo · No Comments

We need a “firewall” between big-time sports and university academics.

The Chinese Don’t Like Academic Freedom, So American Schools Should Avoid Their Confucius Institutes Sep 20, 2017
Academic freedom has long been a guiding principle for American colleges and universities: Neither faculty nor students should be told what to say or punished for saying whatever they think. That principle has been under attack in recent years as militants try to drive out those who dissent from their beliefs, but for the most … Continue reading “The Chinese Don’t Like Academic Freedom, So American Schools Should Avoid Their Confucius Institutes”
The Uncertain Future of Coding Boot Camps Sep 18, 2017
Students are enrolling in coding “boot camps” at record rates, with the number of graduates increasing from about 2,200 in 2013 to an estimated 23,000 in 2017. However, the booming popularity of coding schools was not enough to prevent two prominent ones, Dev Bootcamp and The Iron Yard, from closing down recently. Coding boot camps … Continue reading “The Uncertain Future of Coding Boot Camps”
Grade Inflation Just Got Respectable: The New Eligibility Rule Governing Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Sep 15, 2017
Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship is now in its twenty-fourth year of existence. Originally the brainchild of then Governor Zell Miller, since 1993 this merit-based scholarship program has distributed in excess of $9 billion in lottery proceeds to about 1.7 million qualifying recipients. In order to be eligible for HOPE, which covers about 80% of tuition at … Continue reading “Grade Inflation Just Got Respectable: The New Eligibility Rule Governing Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship”

How Not to Recover from a Crisis, Mizzou Edition Sep 22, 2017
The University of Missouri, where I teach and which I dearly love, is in crisis. Freshman enrollment at the university’s Columbia campus (Mizzou) is down by a whopping 35% from two years ago. Missouri’s governor and legislature slashed Mizzou’s state appropriation by $22 million this year. Administrators have responded by cutting Mizzou’s operating budget by … Continue reading “How Not to Recover from a Crisis, Mizzou Edition”
The Uncertain Future of Coding Boot Camps Sep 18, 2017
Students are enrolling in coding “boot camps” at record rates, with the number of graduates increasing from about 2,200 in 2013 to an estimated 23,000 in 2017. However, the booming popularity of coding schools was not enough to prevent two prominent ones, Dev Bootcamp and The Iron Yard, from closing down recently. Coding boot camps … Continue reading “The Uncertain Future of Coding Boot Camps”
Grade Inflation Just Got Respectable: The New Eligibility Rule Governing Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Sep 15, 2017
Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship is now in its twenty-fourth year of existence. Originally the brainchild of then Governor Zell Miller, since 1993 this merit-based scholarship program has distributed in excess of $9 billion in lottery proceeds to about 1.7 million qualifying recipients. In order to be eligible for HOPE, which covers about 80% of tuition at … Continue reading “Grade Inflation Just Got Respectable: The New Eligibility Rule Governing Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship”

The Uncertain Future of Coding Boot Camps Sep 18, 2017
Students are enrolling in coding “boot camps” at record rates, with the number of graduates increasing from about 2,200 in 2013 to an estimated 23,000 in 2017. However, the booming popularity of coding schools was not enough to prevent two prominent ones, Dev Bootcamp and The Iron Yard, from closing down recently. Coding boot camps … Continue reading “The Uncertain Future of Coding Boot Camps”
What’s the Alternative to a Mountain of College Debt? Sep 1, 2017
Meet Sarah, a very bright student in her junior year in high school. She excels in math and science and thinks that an engineering career of some kind would be her cup of tea. She wants to go to a college or university where a strong academic program will give her the knowledge she needs. … Continue reading “What’s the Alternative to a Mountain of College Debt?”
How to Fight the ABA’s Anticompetitive and Discriminatory Practices Aug 23, 2017
Recently I urged top law schools to stand up to the excesses and abuses occasioned by the ministrations of the American Bar Association (ABA). These schools could band together and follow the lead of the journalism schools at Northwestern and Berkeley, which dropped their accreditor, the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, … Continue reading “How to Fight the ABA’s Anticompetitive and Discriminatory Practices”

How Not to Recover from a Crisis, Mizzou Edition Sep 22, 2017
The University of Missouri, where I teach and which I dearly love, is in crisis. Freshman enrollment at the university’s Columbia campus (Mizzou) is down by a whopping 35% from two years ago. Missouri’s governor and legislature slashed Mizzou’s state appropriation by $22 million this year. Administrators have responded by cutting Mizzou’s operating budget by … Continue reading “How Not to Recover from a Crisis, Mizzou Edition”
The Chinese Don’t Like Academic Freedom, So American Schools Should Avoid Their Confucius Institutes Sep 20, 2017
Academic freedom has long been a guiding principle for American colleges and universities: Neither faculty nor students should be told what to say or punished for saying whatever they think. That principle has been under attack in recent years as militants try to drive out those who dissent from their beliefs, but for the most … Continue reading “The Chinese Don’t Like Academic Freedom, So American Schools Should Avoid Their Confucius Institutes”
The Uncertain Future of Coding Boot Camps Sep 18, 2017
Students are enrolling in coding “boot camps” at record rates, with the number of graduates increasing from about 2,200 in 2013 to an estimated 23,000 in 2017. However, the booming popularity of coding schools was not enough to prevent two prominent ones, Dev Bootcamp and The Iron Yard, from closing down recently. Coding boot camps … Continue reading “The Uncertain Future of Coding Boot Camps”