A.J. Angulo, professor education and history at Winthrop University, has done all of higher education a service with his latest book. Diploma Mills: How For-Profit Colleges Stiffed Students, Taxpayers, and the American Dream is the first historical examination of for-profit higher education in the United States. This well-written study covers decades of for-profit education, from…
A Real College Guide: Humor and Care From the Source
At the heart of any good college are dedicated faculty. Architecture, athletics, traditions and social life may capture the public’s attention, but what really matters are the faculty – the professionals who educate, research, and define their institutions of higher education. Understand that – really grasp what the means and how it plays out – and…
Education Measures Up
In 2009, Walter W. McMahon, emeritus professor of economics and education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign wrote Higher Learning, Greater Good: The Private and Social Benefits of Higher Education. Using a human capital approach the question of what higher education does and does not provide to society, McMahon’s account is thorough, persuasive, and technical…
Ginsburg at Chicago
Inspiration, these days, is welcome from any source. Last night I found plenty in a 118-year old building listening to an 84 year-old jurist. It was a straightforward affirmation of basic values that resonate with me: democracy, civil rights, fairness, hard work, and discipline. Roosevelt University’s conference, The American Dream Reconsidered, provided an opportunity for Judge…
Liberal – A Vexed Term
Few terms are as politically charged as “liberal” – worn proudly by those on the left and a sign of scorn for those on the right. Tossed around frequently without clarity or rigor, “liberal” has become of a catch-basin for various ideas, policies, and values. This is not unusual. I am trained as an historian…
Listening Closely: Andrew Solomon and the Search for Identity
Andrew Solomon is one of our foremost thinkers and writers. An accomplished author on topics that include politics, art, culture, mental health, among many, Solomon’s work regularly appears in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Artforum, and other publications. He has written several award-winning books, fiction and non-fiction. Solomon is active with PEN as President of the…
Charting Higher Ed from Higher Up
The rules for higher education are changing. Expectations are higher. Resources are scarcer. Higher education has never been more important to individual financial success; education has never been more roundly and consistently criticized. In this environment, it is hard to figure out what, exactly is going on and where things are headed. Working within higher…