Archives for August 2014

Reminder and Notice

When I first posted A Tale Out of School, along with the highly revealing emails from administrators and others, it got a lot of hits. I’m posting this “reminder and notice” for new visitors who may not be aware of the article  and want to read it – or even read just the accompanying emails. I think […]

Notre Dame Is Rocked by Charges of Academic Cheating – Only the Tip of The Iceberg, and, Not Just Notre Dame

Notre Dame Is Rocked by Charges of Academic Cheating – NYTimes.com. I put my view in a comment:   Critics are only partly right when they “…contend that [college sports officials] are unable to run sports as a big business while maintaining academic integrity…” (from the article, 5th paragraph down) The reality is that colleges, […]

More on: The Trouble With Tenure – NYTimes.com

The Trouble With Tenure – NYTimes.com. In addition to a previous comment on this topic, I added this.   If we truly “revere” teachers, we will do something about COLLEGE education. Without a decent college education (something that most college degrees do not equate to), how can we expect our high school teachers to be […]

School Tenure – First, Cut Off the Problem at the Source

The Trouble With Tenure – NYTimes.com. I believe this is just another fix that misses the fundamental problem.  I tried to point that out in this comment. I am a former professor. I taught for 25 years, at both an elite school, Wash. U. in St. Louis, and, before that, at a regional state school. […]

Good Article – But, From Whence Commeth These Teachers?

Teaching Is Not a Business – NYTimes.com. This is a good article by someone who also understands universities.  But, (my comment on the NY Times site) Though I agree with Prof. Kirp, I would ask “from whence commeth these teachers?”. To get good teachers, we need good colleges. That second “good” means “not irresponsible or […]

Columbia Cancels High Visibility Concert – What Does This Really Mean?

Columbia Cancels Concert Amid Safety Concerns – NYTimes.com. I don’t know the answer to my own question.  But, given that the adminstrators and faculty at Columbia haven’t changed, I worry that this particular concert was cancelled simply because of its high visiblity (It got in the Times.), and not because of any serious change in […]

Is Princeton Proud of its Recommedation to Change Its Grading Policy?

I found this informative and quite humorous.  It’s by Angela Wang.  The complete article is here. “…The announcement [on Princeton’s new grading policy recommedation] came at a time when school is not in session and no press release was sent through the University’s usual channels announcing the report. A press release was sent later in the day […]

Princeton Grading Policy Change – Solving for the Winning Solution? And to What Problem?

There is a report in today’s New York Times.  It has links to the announcement by Princeton’s president, and to the faculty committee’s report. Princeton Is Proposing to End Limit on Giving A’s – NYTimes.com. The reason I ask if this is solving for the “winning solution” (See below for a definition) is that Princeton […]

Arum and Roksa (Authors of the Seminal “Academically Adrift”) Have Written a Sequel

From the “book description” on Amazon: “…their new book follows the same cohort of undergraduates through the rest of their college careers and out into the working world…Recent graduates report trouble finding decent jobs and developing stable romantic relationships, as well as assuming civic and financial responsibility…” All the data that I have seen show […]