'Hip-Hop Prez' Rejuvenates a College, Using a Personal Touch

The young president of Philander Smith College plainly demands that it rise from its troubled recent past.

Faculty Job Interviews Move From Conference to Campus

Some departments are abandoning the traditional hunting ground of scholarly meetings in favor of budget-friendly telephone interviews.

Congratulations, Super Senior, You've Graduated. Please Leave.

Slackers or struggling? California State University reaches out to students who have stayed too long.

How 5 States Get 'Super Seniors' to Finish Up

Colleges use cost hikes to nudge students along.

The Gospel of Well-Educated Guessing

Sanjoy Mahajan, a lecturer at MIT, teaches his students how to make good estimates, using both their heads and their guts.

5 Minutes With a Student Who Majored in Magic

Jordan H. Goldklang, aka the Great Jordini, could pull a diploma out of a hat this week at Indiana University at Bloomington.

For President of Central European U., All Roads Led to Budapest

John Shattuck, once the U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic, finds himself on a new mission in Central Europe.

Recent 'Humor' on Higher Ed

Three new books try to tickle academe's funny bone, with varying degrees of success.

Peeling Potatoes to Pay Tuition

"Over 100 Ways to Work One's Way Through College," written in 1906, advised students to sell underwear or deliver lectures for the Anti-Saloon League.

'Bananas From Heaven' and Other Student Blunders

The man who wrote the book on malapropisms in term papers has written a new one.

Misery in the Genes: How DNA Turns Stress Into Illness

A UCLA researcher finds a genetic link between stress and disease, significantly expanding the young discipline of psychoneuroimmunology.

The Stress of Studying Stress

Working from grant to grant is in emotionally demanding way of life.

Professors From the Working Class Credit Their Rise to Rock—and Agent Scully

Music, television and comic-book characters, and other elements of popular culture inspired faculty members from the working class to strive when they were young.

Skipping Class? Sensors Are Watching

At Northern Arizona University, officials will use an electronic system to learn who is—and who is not—in large classrooms.

Technology Brings the Search Committee Right to Your Living Room

Despite the comforts of home, talking via telephone or video can heighten anxiety in an already delicate process.

Chasing the Single-Password Dream

A nonprofit group called InCommon helps colleges move toward a single sign-on for all their online offerings.

Governing Boards Should Look Beyond Alumni for Trustees

Graduates are no more prepared to serve on the boards than are their colleagues who went to college elsewhere, a report says.

Why Deep Tuition Discounts May Not Spell Doom

They can be a useful tool as long as tuition revenue is solid.

U. of Washington's President to Lead NCAA

The new chief, Mark A. Emmert, said he would continue the emphasis that his predecessor, Myles Brand, put on academic requirements for athletes.

Career-Service Centers Strive to Help the Class of 2010—and 2009, and 2008

Recent alumni, whether underemployed or still unhired, are turning up at their alma maters for job-hunting help. Many colleges are happy to oblige.

A Battle in Britain: Who Pays for College, and How Much?

National elections, an economic crisis, and a government review raise hard questions for the country.

U. of Oxford Raises $100-Million for Its 21st-Century School

James Martin, the school's namesake, matched $50-million in donations that will help it tackle global challenges.

U. of California's Problem Is Unreliable State Support

"While I agree with Professor Watson that 'we are all in this leaking, listing ship together,' I would have chosen less pessimistic language."

'Sierra' Sustainability Rankings Serve Readers and Colleges

"We aim to make the process behind our annual "Coolest Schools" rankings as transparent and relevant as possible."

Energy-Service Companies Offer Colleges Benefits

"Since 2004, the collaboration between Chevron Energy Solutions and the university has saved approximately 74 million kilowatt hours of electricity and 215 million cubic feet...

Soul Talk

If you tune it out as irrational nonsense, you might miss out on some worthwhile and beautiful ideas.

50 Years on the Pill

It didn't open doors for women, but it sure helped them walk through.

We Need a General Theory of Individuality

Whether we're looking at marmots or human beings, variation is the norm. Why?

Is a World Without Nuclear Weapons Really Possible?

It's possible, but the path is fraught with danger and must be charted carefully.

Our Ends

Deaths, small and large; parasites, large and small.

Confessions of a Former New York Cabby

A New York cabby takes Marxism for a spin.

The Ethics of Hiring Domestic Workers

The Generation Behind Social Activism

Publishing on Podhoretz

Hate Speech and the Supreme Court's Animal-Video Decision

Could a speaker utter words so hurtful that officials could justifiably prohibit them?

Gainful Employment and Incentives for Recruiters: Career Colleges Deserve a Say

Gainful employment and incentives for recruiters are sticking points in proposed federal rules.

Four Budget Lines Not to Trim in a Downturn

Staff training, support for part-timers, infrastructure for new programs, maintenance—even in a downturn, colleges are unwise to trim budgets in those areas.

10th Time's the Charm

In a barren market, a Ph.D. in the humanities finally finds a tenure-track job.

Career Paths for Life Scientists

What are the alternatives to a research job in academe for science Ph.D.'s?