Volume 59, Issue 17: December 21, 2012

News

Reinventing Colleges for Whom?

Popular "disruptions" have the buzz but might put higher education out of reach for those students who need traditional instruction the most.
Thinkers, Professors, Soldiers, Spies

The hunt for federal dollars has given classified research a lift on some campuses, but even supporters see dangers in that growth.
Asian Applicants Wonder About Higher Admissions Bar

College officials deny it, but many Asian-American high-school students feel they will be held to a higher standard.
A University Creates an Endowed Chair for Shared Governance

Francis Marion University's faculty and president have worked to rebuild its governance in a way that gives professors a meaningful voice.
At U. of Maryland, an Effort to Make Introductory Courses Extraordinary

Intro classes, always ripe for reinvention, benefit from a new emphasis on creative teaching at College Park.
New Platform Lets Professors Set Prices for Their Online Courses

What's your course really worth to students? A new online platform lets professors determine what services to offer and how much to charge.
Putting Dissertation Online Isn't an Obstacle to Print Publication, Surveys Find

In recent polls of journal editors, more than 80 percent said they would consider articles drawn from openly accessible electronic theses.
National Groups Call for Big Changes in Remedial Education

The groups recommend placing more developmental students directly into full-credit college courses and giving them the help they need to succeed.
As GI Bill Expands, So Do Calls for Tracking Veterans' Academic Success

Recipients of GI Bill benefits have never been studied to gauge the effect of the program. Now, with more than 760,000 veterans having used billions of dollars from the...
An Outsourcing Deal as Big as Texas May Have Even Wider Appeal

Texas A&M has signed over its flagship's dining and facilities services, and suggests that other systems and colleges do the same.
U. of Iowa Will Ask Applicants if They 'Identify With' Gay Community

It is the first public college, and only the second higher-education institution in the nation, to ask about sexual orientation and gender identity.
Education Dept. Clears Minority Programs of Discrimination at Colleges in 3 States

The Office for Civil Rights dropped investigations of programs in Missouri, New York, and North Carolina, but two of its determinations face challenges.
NCAA's Tolerance for Dissenting Views at Its Academic Forum Appears in Doubt

At least one official has criticized the tone of recent conferences and raised questions about whether the association would continue to back the forum.
NIH Considers Anonymity for Grant Applicants

The agency may start a pilot program that would require reviewers to evaluate grant applications without knowing who had submitted them.
Top Obama Campaign Strategist Turns to Training Others for Public Service

David Axelrod, fresh from helping oversee the president's win, will lead the new Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago.
Bates College's New President Continues Family Legacy of Leadership

Clayton Spencer's first lessons in leading a college came in childhood, as she observed how her father did it.
Interdisciplinary Possibilities Pull Caltech Biologist to U. of Southern California

Scott Fraser is bringing two dozen people from Caltech to his new institution, where he hopes team members will shift disciplines to solve problems.
Selected New Books on Higher Education Books

Topics include serving student veterans, the student experience at an elite college, and bullying in the academic workplace.
Fisk U., and Smith and Claremont McKenna Colleges to Get New Presidents

The new chiefs are all currently serving as deans at other institutions. Read about other appointments, retirements, and ousters.
Charles W. Rosen, Critic and Music Professor, Dies at 85; Other Notable Deaths

Mr. Rosen, who was a concert pianist, taught for a decade at the University of Chicago.

The Chronicle Review

Secret Reading Lives, Revealed

Researchers in an emerging field look for "teardrops on the page" and other evidence of how readers have used books across history.
The Editor as Power Broker

Gordon Hutner's journal "American Literary History" has shaped criticism for a quarter-century.
This Is Not a Profile of Nassim Taleb

It was intended to be, but perhaps unsurprisingly, an interview with the famously ill-tempered author ended badly.
The Enduring Mystery of Dickens's 'Dear Girl'

The nature of his secret relationship with the young actress Ellen Ternan bears on how we read his homages to home and the dualities of his characters.
Theory of A+S2(holes)

There's a colorful vernacular word for someone with a deep-rooted sense of entitlement, and it's the topic of not one but two new books.
Worshiping 'the Book'

Brilliant writing doesn't count for tenure unless it's between two snazzy covers. That's silly.

Commentary

Fantasy Academe: a Role for Sabermetrics

Since higher education is a little like "Monday Night Football," what if we measured its value using the latest statistical methods of sports?
Colleges' Concerted Campaign for Ignorance

The higher-education lobby uses the guise of civil liberties to squelch honest questions about what taxpayers are getting in exchange for their student-aid dollars.
Jump Off the Coursera Bandwagon

The start-up company is capitalizing on a lemming-like rush among elite colleges, but all it offers is the massification of education.