Flagships Just Want to Be Alone

Hard times strain relations between big public research universities and their states, prompting some of the institutions to try to break away from their statewide systems.

Many For-Profits Are 'Managing' Defaults to Mask Problems, Analysis Indicates

Three-year student-loan default rates are five times as high as two-year rates at some colleges.

In an Era of Campus Cutbacks, Performing-Arts Centers Keep Going Up

At some public colleges, multimillion-dollar venues are opening, paid for in large part with state money. And more are planned.

Online Public University Plans to Turn Indiana Dropouts Into Graduates

Western Governors University Indiana is unusual in that it's chartered as a state institution. Other states are watching with interest.

Celebrity Visiting Professors Take Their Courses Off the Record

In a course at Yale, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal asked students to refrain from talking out of class about their discussions. Some academics question the propriety of that...

When a Thief Takes Your Dissertation

Sometimes the only copy of several years' worth of effort is the one that is suddenly gone.

Campus Leaders in Pennsylvania Plan to Fight Deep Cuts

The state is the latest to have to cope with a plan from a new Republican governor that would significantly shrink state support for higher education.

Encouraging Faculty Retirement Goes Beyond the Financial, College Presidents Say

Emotional and social considerations also come into play, they explain, and colleges should seek ways to offer potential retirees support in those areas.

Anti-Faculty-Union Proposal in Ohio Came From Public-University Association

Controversial legislation that would strip most public-college faculties of collective-bargaining rights was suggested by the head of the Inter-University Council of Ohio.

French Court Finds in Favor of Editor Accused of Libel Over Book Review

The editor, a professor at NYU, was sued in France, where the book's author has citizenship. The case drew widespread interest for its potentially chilling effect.

iPads for College Classrooms? Not So Fast, Some Professors Say.

iPads are all the rage, but researchers who look into the teaching value of tablet PC's say those older devices may be better.

Winter Break in Mexico­ (Not for the Reasons You Think)

Millsaps College, with a 4,000-acre reserve in the Yucatán, runs courses in archaeology, culture, natural history, and even business law.

Faculty Unionization Drive Remains Mired in Battle Over Church-State Divide

A Roman Catholic college is appealing a decision that it is too secular to be outside the purview of the National Labor Relations Board.

'The Question of Whether Your Actions Will Matter Is a Harder One to Get Past'

Although many students are engaged with their communities, the majority are not politically active, says Paul Rogat Loeb, an old hand at student activism, whose books are...

U. of Texas Snags Archive of 'Cyberpunk' Literary Pioneer Bruce Sterling

The influential science-fiction novelist and Internet theorist donated a cultural treasure trove to the Harry Ransom Center.

Attachment Theory Goes to Grad School

Two researchers use attachment theory and their personal experience to explore adviser-advisee relationships.

Capitalism's Dismal Future

Capitalism has been so vital for so long that it seems irreplaceable. But it is played out, as encroaching fiscal and environmental horrors will show.

The Intellectual as Courtier

That great kissing-up sound you hear? That's a scholar flirting with a despot.

Field Report: The Suddenly New Study of Egypt

The collapse of the Mubarak regime is leading scholars of the Middle East to re-examine common assumptions and ask a variety of new questions.

Hey Physics, Get Real!

The trippiness of physics used to be attractive. Now it seems decadent and escapist.

The Making of Debtor Nation

Debt has a history—one we'd better learn if we are to understand our strange mélange of prosperity and insecurity.

Who's a Chicken?

The logic of competitive risk-taking, as in the classic game of "chicken," seems absurd.

Nota Bene: Translating a Thai Epic

A husband-and-wife team tackled the English translation of a story beloved by a nation, "The Tale of Khun Chang Khun Phaen."

The Verse of Tahrir Square

The poetry of the revolution echoed populist movements from other centuries, and will linger in the hearts and minds of Egyptians for many years.

How Campuses Respond to Troubled Students

The Power of Play

Tea, Shortbread, and 3 Things Worth Knowing

If students aren't culturally literate, a welcome diversion can help fill in their gaps of knowledge.

Questions Abound as the College-Rankings Race Goes Global

Now even iPhone applications help calculate colleges' place in the Scheme of Things, and institutions place far too much weight on cracking the top tier.

Point: A New Command for Wisconsin's Flagship

Separating the University of Wisconsin at Madison from the rest of the system makes sense academically and economically, argues the chancellor.

Counterpoint: Do Not Abandon the Rest of the Fleet

The real reason the flagship carries the flag is because the fleet has bestowed that honor, says the chancellor of another campus in the system.

Meet the Real Winona State

The university's expansion of its academic offerings may well be the sort of "disruptive innovation" that reform-minded people admire, says its president.

'Racial-Diversity Mania': Do We Need It?

"Justice Sandra Day O'Connor fell for the University of Michigan's assertion that great educational benefits appear once a school achieves a diverse student body, but that...

Shared Governance Need Not Be a Charade

"Shared governance, however flawed, is one mechanism that helps assure that administrators are making decisions consistent with an institution's character, future...

A Diversity Proposal to Spur Discussion

"What if universities required all minorities to demonstrate that they were serving in their racial communities before they received special consideration for admissions and...

As Headlines Evolve, Can Citations Follow?

"'The New York Times' has managed to create its own world of pain and confusion for citation builders."

Collective Bargaining in College Sports?

"What if there were a collective-bargaining agreement in intercollegiate sports?"

Issues of Disability Deserve Attention

"We must normalize the participation of those with disabilities in higher education before we can truly equalize their experiences."

'Model Minority' Concept Has Been Misused

"Other Asian-Americans have assumed the mantel of model minority because the old stereotypes of Asians have become as unacceptable as racial epithets."

A Man Walks Into a Department Office . . .

"Excuse me, but I need a professor to look at this yeti skull."