Like a chipped tooth that you can’t leave alone, William Davies’ The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being provokes, rankles, and works its way into your thinking. No dry academic text, it’s lively, well-written, and a sprawling, expansive book. The arguments in The Happiness Industry have been kicking around in my head since…
Memoir or More: On Hillbilly Elegy
One of the most popular non-fiction books published in the last few years in J.D. Vance’s memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. Readers across the political spectrum have praised it. Colleges are assigning it to entering students as the required “freshman read.” You’ll find it at airport bookstores. Ron Howard is…
Paths for Leadership in Higher Education
A recurring theme in higher education is the rise of the “nontraditional president.” We increasingly hear about politicians and businessmen – they are usually men – who reach a point in their careers where they want to “give back.” A college presidency beckons. Their appointment is saddled with the allure of new ways of thinking,…
About Equity
Summers offer time to review what has and has not worked over the year, to take stock of resources, and to align plans for the coming autumn. High in my thoughts are questions about how my college can best continue to pursue an equity agenda, a question that I discussed at the AAC&U national conference…
Thanks Again, Professor Guilmartin
A few years ago, after finding a copy of my college transcript in a box of papers, I sent notes of thanks to the undergraduate professors who made a difference. Many teachers have helped me over the years and I am increasingly aware of just how much they have mattered. It is fascinating just how…
The Feds and Higher Education Through A Different Lens
The story the American higher education over the past century is a tale of increased access, influence, scope, and scale. Viewed at a macro level, American higher education has become central to the nation’s economy, power, and role in the world. How that happened is the focus of Christopher P. Loss’s Between Citizens and the…
Clarity and Chaos: Words, Ideas, and Universities
History is difficult. Comparative history is harder. And comparative policy – the study of ideas, power, history and practice across countries – is more challenging still. If I have learned one lesson from reading about comparative educational policy, it is to tread very carefully. Assumptions and comparisons are fraught with local complexity. Stefan Collini is a…