Category Archives: Current Events

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N.C. Republicans are trying to ruin the UNC system

Seemingly not content to just ruin K-12 public education, North Carolina Republicans have set their sights on ruining the UNC system. The latest mockery surrounds the presidential search to replace ousted UNC president, Tom Ross. The UNC Board of Governors met last Friday to evaluate the candidacy of Margaret Spellings, former U.S. Secretary of Education under George W. Bush. Legislative leaders and board members complained about the search process leading to mass chaos. The search is only the latest evidence that N.C. Republicans are trying to ruin the UNC system.

Photo credit: WCNC

For many years, the University of North Carolina remained above the partisan fray. While some Republicans complained over the years about liberal leanings in Chapel Hill or the legislature being too lenient on UNC leaders, the UNC system was not used as a political piñata.

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The need for faculty self-discipline

University of California- Berkeley professor and famed astronomer Geoff Marcy has resigned. For those who haven’t been following the story, Marcy was accused by numerous former students of sexual harassment (here and here for more details). Nearly everyone has decidedly condemned his behavior. Many have been critical of the university’s response and seeming inability to discipline a member of the faculty that was sexually harassing students for many years. There is little question that Marcy’s behavior was reprehensible, but I want to discuss another aspect of the case: the need for faculty self-discipline.

After an extensive investigation of the facts of the case, the university found there to be convincing evidence against Marcy.

As a result, the university (with Marcy’s agreement) instituted a no-tolerance policy and said further actions by him would result in termination. The university administration claimed this was the best it could do under University of California faculty policies and that removing future appeal and procedural options for Marcy was a significant penalty.

No surprise, the backlash against this was swift. And in my view, justified.

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We still need gun control to protect our students.

Again, we have to face another mass murder in our country. Yet again, horror has been brought upon students just trying to learn and improve their lives. After the Sandy Hook shooting, a group of college presidents wrote an open letter to our leaders pleading for change. After the shooting in Oregon last week, it is sad to realize still nothing has changed.
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More colleges to close. Reality or hype?

Moody’s has released a report arguing that revenue problems will triple the annual number of small colleges to close through 2017. An average of 5 colleges each year have closed over the past decade. With the attention Sweet Briar attracted before ultimately deciding not to close, the issue of college closures is top of mind lately. However, the question remains: what is the likelihood of more colleges closing?

Photo credit: Sweet Briar College

I agree with Moody’s analysis if not their conclusions.

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Why salary is a bad way to judge higher education’s success

The Obama administration has released a new College Scorecard web page that provides some additional data not previously available. The Scorecard takes the place of the Department of Education’s failed rating plan that largely collapsed under its own weight, the objections of college leaders, and Congressional leaders from both parties. Unfortunately, the new web page continues the administration’s higher education policy and rhetoric focusing on the economic importance of higher education.  To that end, the new system provides information regarding the income of students six and ten years after they enrolled in higher education.  In today’s post, I will discuss why salary is a bad way to judge higher education’s success.

Photo credit: Thomas Galvez

I object to the salary measure on both philosophical and practical grounds.