Topic: Academics

Is the UNC System Serious about Teacher Training Reform?

Mar 12, 2018 · · No Comments on Is the UNC System Serious about Teacher Training Reform?

On Valentine’s Day, The University of North Carolina System released “Leading on Literacy: Challenges and Opportunities in Teacher Preparation Across the University of North Carolina System.” For me, it was not love at first sight. “Leading on Literacy” represents the latest effort by the UNC System to address the shortcomings of teacher education programs generally and literacy … Continue reading “Is the UNC System Serious about Teacher Training Reform?”

Forcing Students to Apply to College Is a Bad Idea

Mar 9, 2018 · · No Comments on Forcing Students to Apply to College Is a Bad Idea

Legislators in New Mexico are pushing a bill that would make students apply to at least one college while they are still juniors in high school. This legislation reflects the powerful belief that college should be the norm for students after they graduate from high school. That belief, however, is mistaken and this bill, should … Continue reading “Forcing Students to Apply to College Is a Bad Idea”

University Programs Cultivate the Crisis of Relevance in the Arts

Mar 2, 2018 · · No Comments on University Programs Cultivate the Crisis of Relevance in the Arts

I spent the early 1990s in art school. Little did I know that one of most negative experiences I had there was a harbinger for the direction of college art programs. We didn’t have much opportunity to expose our work to the larger public. But once a year the university held a juried, month-long exhibit … Continue reading “University Programs Cultivate the Crisis of Relevance in the Arts”

Science and Its Discontents: Too Few Jobs—or Too Many Scientists?

Feb 28, 2018 · · No Comments on Science and Its Discontents: Too Few Jobs—or Too Many Scientists?

“The United States is producing more research scientists than academia can handle,” so begins a July 2016 article by respected New York Times science reporter Gina Kolata. It turns out that new PhDs in science have a hard time getting a job like their mentor’s: tenured faculty in a research university. Fifty years ago, in … Continue reading “Science and Its Discontents: Too Few Jobs—or Too Many Scientists?”

North Carolina Works to Ensure Success of Military Students

Feb 26, 2018 · · No Comments on North Carolina Works to Ensure Success of Military Students

Drone pilots have assumed an increasingly valuable role in military operations. Soon they may be able to leverage their unique experience into academic credits through the North Carolina Community College System. That is just one among a multitude of military occupations and training modules for which the UNC System and Community College System might one … Continue reading “North Carolina Works to Ensure Success of Military Students”

Urban Universities: Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem?

Feb 23, 2018 · · No Comments on Urban Universities: Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem?

Look at any map of our recent presidential elections and a key fault-line in our fractured country becomes clear. Cities and their denser suburbs vote overwhelmingly Democratic and show up as blue islands. It’s also true that many of our most influential universities are located on those islands and leftist sentiment is even more pronounced in them than … Continue reading “Urban Universities: Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem?”

Men Wanted: The Feminized Campus versus Decent Masculinity

Feb 14, 2018 · · No Comments on Men Wanted: The Feminized Campus versus Decent Masculinity

In the wake of Harvey Weinstein, #MeToo, increased public attention to sexual harassment, and the growing debate about due process rights of the accused, how are young men to navigate the sexual minefield that exists on many campuses and emerge as neither a lout nor a loner? The consensus opinion of the academic establishment is … Continue reading “Men Wanted: The Feminized Campus versus Decent Masculinity”

Great Books Are Key for a Unified Education

Feb 12, 2018 · · 1 Comment on Great Books Are Key for a Unified Education

The Great Books—the primary texts that include the greatest writings of Western Civilization—once formed the basis of all higher education. The highest levels of society were often closed to those who could not discuss the important works of the Classical period, Christianity, or the Enlightenment. Starting in the 19th century, their primacy diminished as the … Continue reading “Great Books Are Key for a Unified Education”

Psychology Professors Argue Against Groupthink in Their Field

Feb 7, 2018 · · 8 Comments on Psychology Professors Argue Against Groupthink in Their Field

Does social science research and understanding suffer because most of the individuals working in the field are on the left side of the political spectrum? A new book gives us strong reasons to think so. The book is entitled The Politics of Social Psychology and was edited by professors Jarret Crawford and Lee Jussim. Its … Continue reading “Psychology Professors Argue Against Groupthink in Their Field”

Peer Review: the Publication Game and “the Natural Selection of Bad Science”

Feb 2, 2018 · · 2 Comments on Peer Review: the Publication Game and “the Natural Selection of Bad Science”

Editor’s Note: This is part II; part I can be found here. Professor Brian Wansink is head of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University. The lab has had problems, some described in an article called “Spoiled Science” in the Chronicle of Higher Education early in 2017: Four papers on which he is a … Continue reading “Peer Review: the Publication Game and “the Natural Selection of Bad Science””