Students

In a Charged Climate, Colleges Adopt Bias-Response Teams  

Groups designed to respond quickly to offensive speech on campuses are becoming more popular. Here’s what they do.

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Technology

MIT Dean Takes Leave to Start New University Without Lectures or Classrooms

Christine Ortiz, a dean of graduate education, envisions a new kind of college, built from scratch for today’s needs and with today’s technology.

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Athletics

As Sports Programs Get Richer, Few Give Much for Academics  

Athletic departments cover millions of dollars in scholarships for players, but set aside a tiny share of their revenue for academic programs.

The Ticker

British Prime Minister Criticizes Oxford for Low Enrollment of Disadvantaged Students

The university said David Cameron's calls to shed more light on its admissions ignore the reality that the effects of societal inequality begin before college.

The Ticker

One-Third of Seats on Missouri System's Governing Board Are Now Empty

The only remaining African-American member of the Board of Curators resigned on Monday, leaving three of nine positions vacant.

The Ticker

ESPN Investigation Alleges Mishandling of Campus Rape at Baylor U.

Several women quoted by the sports network say the university failed to appropriately respond to their reports of sexual assault.

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Students

‘Nudges’ to Help Students Succeed Are Catching On  

Getting into and through college involves a string of complex decisions. Researchers are increasingly using behavioral interventions to help.

Research

Scholars Criticize Academia.edu Proposal to Charge Authors for Recommendations

The social network for sharing academic papers says the idea is just under consideration, not a done deal, but the critics have responded with outrage on Twitter.

Government

Accreditors Feel the Heat, but Are Torn Over Calls for Change  

Accrediting agencies face rising calls in Washington to hold more colleges accountable, but it’s not clear that they’re all ready to embrace the desired reforms.

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Research

Teaching Young Engineers to Find Problems, Not Just Solve Them  

A new wave of campus programs encourages undergraduates to think broadly, aggressively, and across disciplines about how they can help with real-world challenges.

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Administration

Oregon’s Step Back From a Branding Contract Doesn’t Mean Branding Is Dead  

The University of Oregon grabbed headlines by ending a multimillion-dollar branding campaign. But such efforts to build a national brand are far from over at Oregon and elsewhere.

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Students

Students’ Demands Go Beyond Black and White  

Many of the recent protests over campus diversity have focused on the concerns of black students. But Latino and Asian students are raising their voices, too, and their interests can differ.

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Research

Is University Research Missing What Matters Most?  

As a nation, we’re getting good at turning professors’ work into marketable products. But is that enough for some of our society’s biggest problems?

Technology

Computer Science, Meet Humanities: in New Majors, Opposites Attract

Stanford University sees such integration as a way to bring in students who are drawn to the arts but feel that they need computing skills for their careers.

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Faculty

A University Softens a Plan to Cut Tenured Faculty, but Professors Remain Wary  

Facing a dire budget situation, Western Illinois University had proposed to lay off more than 40 professors. It has taken a dozen tenured faculty members off the list, but that hasn’t allayed concerns about its process or goals.

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The Chronicle Review

A Muslim Rift in Academe  

How a Duke imam became a lightning rod in the campus Israel wars.

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Commentary

What Black Campus Activists Can Learn From the Freedom Summer of 1964

Students of color often say they are tired of explaining their situation to others. But dialogue is the only way forward.

Lingua Franca

Oh, Commas

Ben Yagoda postulates the origin of the phrase "Oh + noun" (which always takes a comma).

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Vitae

Will My Offer Be Rescinded if I Negotiate?

It's still rare for tenure-track offers to be withdrawn but it does happen. Here are the red flags.

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Vitae

My Post-Promotion Clarity

Is there an equivalent of the posttenure blues for contingent faculty members who have received a promotion?