Confessions of a Community College Dean

A returning correspondent writes: I teach history in the major university in my area. Every year I get 3-4 emails from high school students who want help with their papers. They often describe their topic with a phrase that sounds suspiciously like a high school essay question. High school instructors seem to feel that students are showing "initiative" by asking somebody else to do their work for them. With time, my initial sense of outrage over the laziness of students has given way to resignation.

A regular reader writes: I teach at an open admission, 4 year college. Unlike community colleges, we actually pull our...

This piece in the Washington Post -- sent along by a few alert readers -- inadvertently draws attention to one...

Sometimes I take questions from readers, but today I have a question for you. My college will bring its first...

Earlier this week, The Girl and I did a grocery run. The following exchange occurred in the ice cream aisle...

The recent silliness in Florida, in which the governor is questioning the need for more anthropologists, got me to thinking...

The word “occupation” has been getting a workout lately. The Occupy Wall Street movement, which seems to have gone viral...

This kind of situation gives administrators fits, since there’s no easy answer. Let’s say a student is so disruptive in...