For Biddy Martin, a New Test of Leadership

After a tumultuous year as chancellor of Wisconsin's flagship campus, Biddy Martin makes the transition to the far different Amherst College.

In an Election Year, a Complex Portrait of Freshman Political Views

Their beliefs on issues like same-sex marriage and national health care increasingly lean liberal. But that doesn't necessarily translate into activism.

Graphics: How Freshmen's Political Views Changed Over Time

As Scholarship Goes Digital, Academics Seek New Ways to Measure Their Impact

Researchers, librarians, and programmers work in a loose partnership to develop alternative methods of tracking research's paths through social media.

The Case for American Loneliness? One Solitary Number

Some sociologists worry that Americans are more alone than ever. But a deeper look at the data suggests their fears may be unfounded.

Arab Women Make Inroads in Higher Education, but Often Find Dead Ends

As more women attend universities, female scholars push for curricula that would challenge the limits of religious and social regulation.

State of the Union Speech Leaves Many Questions Unanswered

The president didn't say how he would pay for his education policy proposals, or how he would persuade states and colleges to heed his advice.

Professor Leaves Stanford Teaching Post, Hoping to Reach 500,000 at Online Start-Up

Sebastian Thrun gave up tenure and is focusing on Udacity, his online-education venture.

Senator Targets For-Profit Colleges' Recruiting of Veterans

A bill being introduced by Sen. Richard Durbin would modify the 90/10 rule to reduce "the powerful incentive" for-profits now have to aggressively recruit servicemembers.

New MLA President Pledges to Improve Conditions on the Nontenure Track

Michael Bérubé brings skills as a liberal activist scholar to his new role. He hopes to move the association "beyond making recommendations to actual actions."

Controversy Prompts Scientists Worldwide to Halt Work on Engineered Bird-Flu Virus

An international forum will debate the danger of the research. Meanwhile, an NIH panel will reconsider its request that the research be partly censored.

'Adrift' in Adulthood: Students Who Struggled in College Find Life Harsher After Graduation

In a follow-up report to the influential book "Academically Adrift," students who did poorly on a test were found more likely to be unemployed, living at home, and in debt.

Suffolk U.'s New President Taps His Sociological Training to Meet Students' Needs

James McCarthy's experience as provost at another urban campus, CUNY's Baruch College, will also inform his approach at the Boston institution.

Bethune-Cookman U. President, Whose Tenure Was Marked by Controversy, Plans to Retire

During her career, Trudie Kibbe Reed has twice presided over a college while it was censured by the American Association of University Professors over its firing of faculty.

5 Minutes With 2 Married Medievalists Who Are Trying to Elevate Music at Catholic Churches

Two sacred-music specialists at Notre Dame are on a mission to improve the link between music and worship.

Richard Merritt, Founding President of University Photographers' Group, Dies

Mr. Merritt taught photography at the University of New Hampshire for almost 40 years, and he exhibited his work there as well.

Big Picture: Glimpses of Life in Academe From Around the World

The Intuitionist

Liberals would be well served, says Jonathan Haidt, to wise up about conservatives’ gut feelings.

A Political Defector

Jonathan Haidt called for affirmative action to make the field of social psychology 10 percent conservative by 2020

The Accordion Family

As more adult children in the developed world live at home, what is happening to family life?

Copyrights and Wrongs

On one day, an Internet protest upheld free use of creative work—and the Supreme Court limited it.

Copyright Goes Philosophical

The debate over intellectual property transcends the law—and requires philosophy.

Remembering a Golden Age of Reading

A writer remembers the magical world he discovered as a boy, which remains with him still.

Choosing What Americans Choose

Two new books on how niche marketing and other forces circumscribe our lives.

I Caught the Darkness, Baby

Leonard Cohen’s new album and 20th-century poetry acquaint students with the night.

'Queer' Academic Project Not Dead

"Queer studies--at least in linguistics, and at my university--remains a vital and vibrant enterprise."

Queer Activism vs. Queer Theory

The Liberal Arts as Guideposts in the 21st Century

The relevance of a liberal-arts education and the need to ensure its robust future are greater now than ever before.

The Noble Lecture That's More Than a Speech

It's not at commencement. It's the one when the university comes together to hear a great intellect expound on a topic of lasting importance.

Maryland Lawsuit Is Hardly 'Unusual'

"Maryland has been warned for over 40 years by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights that its higher-education system was segregated."

Researchers Are Not the Only Good Teachers

"Is Mr. Mendillo suggesting that the only worthwhile courses are those taught by research faculty?"

Accepting the Way You Work

No ritual or routine to get things done is effective unless it's effective for you.