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Opinion
Selling Liberal Arts to 18 Year Olds
How do you sell the idea of liberal arts to an 18 year old? Admittedly, the question scans differently at different institutions. At the snooty/exclusive liberal arts colleges, the sale has already been made. At a community college in a non-affluent area -- my beat -- the issue is a little trickier.
Opinion
The Grant Program I’d Love to See
I spend a fairly alarming amount of my time these days on grant-related projects. Each is worthy in its own way, of course, but they have certain limitations in common.
Opinion
Adjunct Materials
This one is particularly for the experienced adjuncts, especially those who frequently teach in multiple settings. What materials do you find the most useful, when you get a class at a new department?
Opinion
Ask the Administrator: What Does “College Ready” Mean?
A new correspondent writes: "I'm curious as to how you define 'college ready,' and if you think students come to college really ready or if there are other thing that we could do in the trenches to help them."
Opinion
Where Do You Write?
People who write freehand have long had plenty of choices, but those of us who compose at the keyboard were long tied to wherever the computer (or typewriter) was. They were appliances, far too cumbersome (and fragile, and expensive) to carry around. In college, I wrote in the campus computer center; in grad school, I wrote in my bedroom. Even into the 2000’s, I wrote in the basement, because that was where the computer was.
Opinion
Fear Week
My Twitter account got hacked yesterday, so if you follow my feed and got a sketchy-seeming DM from “me,” ignore it. In retrospect, I should have picked a less obvious password than “PaulRyanLooksLikeEddieMunster12.” Live and learn.
Opinion
The Late Registration Two Step
Say the word “August” to any experienced administrator, and you’ll see an involuntary shudder. Sometimes it’s followed by a low, guttural moan, or sometimes by an abrupt curl into a fetal position. We’ve even been known to run for the nearest hills, crossing streams to hide the scent. August is the season of shoehorning students into remaining sections.
Opinion
Of Systems, Silos, and States
Cal State is refusing admission to graduate students from California; it’s only taking out-of-staters, citing the need for their sweet, sweet tuition surcharges. It’s ridiculous, but it’s also sane.