I am a higher education nerd. When I travel and spot a college campus, I explore it. When people tell me that their children are attending this school or that university, I actually am interested in hearing more their child’s college experience. When given the chance to read a book about a college, I usually do.…
Category: Deanspeak
Posts about the wide realm of higher education from a deanly perspective
Equity and Stereotypes – We Have Much Work To Do
My parents told me when I was a child to avoid stereotyping people. They said that stereotypes were unfair and lazy ways of judging. Their admonitions made sense. Since I wanted to be thought of as a special person, why shouldn’t I do the same for others? It also seemed relatively easy: don’t judge in…
Rights, Referenda, and Reasons
Good questions can take a long time to answer. Earlier this month in a special election Houston voters decisively rejected a city ordinance protecting citizens from discrimination. The issue, framed as liberal versus conservative conflict, attracted national attention. Sports figures, religious leaders, actors, and even the White House weighed in. Supporters argued that the law would protect people…
Missoula: Crime Upon Crime
John Krakauer’s Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town is hard-hitting journalism, a powerful work that stays with you and makes you think. When problems occur that involve the most visible in college life – varsity athletics – media attention is immediate. When those problems are crimes that involve college football players, media…
Access ≠ Access, and Other Lessons from the Digital Divide
My college, like many other institutions of higher education, is working to increase the number of students who complete degrees and certificates in IT fields. We partner with high schools, external organizations, other colleges and universities, and industry. There is genuine enthusiasm for the goal and widespread agreement that information technology knowledge and skills are essential…
What’s In Your Bundle? A Pared-Down Future for Higher Education
When I used to think of bundling, two thoughts come to mind. The first is colonial America’s enthusiasm for torturing love-struck adolescents. Parents would place young couples in a bed with a wooden “bundling” board between them. The covers would be tied down and the aspiring couple would be able to converse and sleep, but…
Community College Agenda – Shared Presidential Perspectives
I recently had an opportunity to talk shop with a dozen community college presidents from around the country. The similarities – personal and professional – were fascinating. We are all focused, somewhat intense people, and we all have a passion for all things academic. We are, in a sense, higher education nerds. Being in the…