A 'Moneyball' Approach to College

Educators are mining student data to help forecast and improve their success.

In India, Caste Discrimination Still Plagues University Campuses

Despite efforts to help students from oppressed groups get into college, once they are there, prejudices remain.

Philosophers Put Their Minds to Expanding Their Role in Public Affairs

Some argue that they can help resolve thorny public debates, but if they do, will the 'queen of the sciences' become just another form of advocacy?

One-Stop Shops for Student Services Aim to Eliminate Hassle

When Virginia Commonwealth University combined several offices into one, it saved students a trip across the campus. But it's still hard to please everyone.

Flawed 70-Year-Old Study Could Mean New Research Rules

A presidential committee on bioethics prepares its report, triggered by revelations of intentional harm done by U.S. scientists.

Uncertainty of Energy Markets Prods Colleges to Build Plants Fueled by Biomass

A few facilities managers are switching to alternative fuels like wood pellets and cornstalks for their steam plants. It's a matter of financial as well as environmental...

Recent Law Graduates Offer Cheap Legal Counsel on Web Site, to Lawyers' Chagrin

It's called Shpoonkle, and it lets jobless young lawyers underbid their more-experienced competitors for work.

Colleges Strengthen Oversight Plans in Response to Sex-Abuse Allegations

Under review are policies on the oversight of minors, on dealing with accusations of abuse, and on the role of governing boards during crises like the one at Penn State.

At White House Meeting on Affordability, a Call for Urgency, Innovation, and Leadership

One college leader says President Obama was in listening mode during an open discussion. Meanwhile, for-profit colleges ask why they weren't invited.

Selected New Books on Higher Education

A selection of new books of interest in higher education.

5 Minutes With a Black Freshman Who Put a Confederate Flag in His Window

"When I see that symbol," says Byron Thomas, at the University of South Carolina, "it's Southern pride to me."

Taking Beauty's Measure

Its worth is as hard to define as its essence. But that hasn't stopped scholars from trying.

Occupy This: Is It Comeback Time for Herbert Marcuse?

The recently neglected social theorist gets back his street cred.

Making Philosophy Matter—or Else

Unless we make quick, systemic changes, the discipline may face extinction.

A New Philosophy for the 21st Century

Rather than philosopher kings, our future is more likely to lie in becoming philosopher bureaucrats.

Coming to Terms With the Impossible

Banished from academe and organized religion, the paranormal has found sanctuary in pop culture.

The Troubled Future of the 19th-Century Book

While many older volumes have found homes in special collections, these are in danger of being lost to the digitization frenzy.

Student Attendance, Case by Case

Life has zero tolerance for inflexible policies.

Fans of Friedrich

A new book chronicles how Americans have gone nuts over Nietzsche. And Stanford University Press fans the flames with the icon's Complete Works.

The Intellectual Legacy of Emma Goldman

Unraveling the Mystique of Elite Colleges

Get Out of Show Business

It's time to control the circus that is college sports, writes one of the founders of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Sports.

Eliminate the Profit Motive

Once it becomes clear that problems are systemic, and that the NCAA cannot institute fundamental change, Congress must force the issue.

Share the Wealth

The culture of sports mirrors the larger societal culture in this country, and the movements that create change in each are intertwined.

Bust the Amateur Myth

American college players are the only athletes in the world who are denied payment in sports where significant sums of money are involved. It's immoral.

Don't Treat Players Like Gladiators

The system must be fair, particularly for the relatively powerless student-athletes.

Exempt the NCAA From Antitrust

If college sports wants to create real reform, it will lift antitrust laws and give the NCAA more authority as a regulatory body.

Kiss the BCS Goodbye

The system is a relic of ancient history and is now one of the reasons behind a continuing battle among the conferences.

Tie Money to Values

We need to eliminate the economic incentives that fuel cheating, criminal cover-ups, and blatant noncompliance with federal laws giving women equal access to collegiate...

For Community Colleges, a Time to Shine

In the two-year sector, the notion of excellence is largely absent from the public mind. But no longer, thanks to a new $1-million prize.

China Conundrum Can Be a Benefit

"Attempting to make Chinese students change to fit the American model should not be our goal."

Here I'm a 'Member,' Not an Adjunct

An assistant professor of English who quit her tenure-track job to move abroad chronicles her first term.