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.
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.
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
A Muslim Rift in Academe
How a Duke imam became a lightning rod in the campus Israel wars.
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.
Oh, Commas
Ben Yagoda postulates the origin of the phrase "Oh + noun" (which always takes a comma).
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.
My Post-Promotion Clarity
Is there an equivalent of the posttenure blues for contingent faculty members who have received a promotion?
