Blogs

In a study of childcare arrangements done by the census, childcare provided by mothers is counted as parenting, but childcare provided by fathers is counted as babysitting. And the report isn’t subtle about it.

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) was the only higher education institution to be included in Fast Company's 2012 list of "The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies." Whether or not that is a "good thing" or a "bad thing" is a matter of debate. SNHU's inclusion does showcase the visionary leadership of their president, especially when it comes to their goal of becoming "the country’s biggest online not-for-profit education system."

University campuses all over the world remained relatively calm during the first decade of the new century. The lack of student activism prompted comments about the apathy of today’s students compared to the high level of political awareness and commitment of their predecessors in the late 60s and throughout the 70s. By contrast, 2011 saw waves of student protests around the cost of university education in places as diverse as Seoul, London, Berkeley, Bogota and Santiago.

Dean Dad’s Monday blog post, titled “Raising Arizona,” deals with two bills currently being debated in the Arizona legislature that could have chilling effects on higher education. The state is already dealing with at least one issue regarding K-12 education that those of us in higher ed would also do well to pay attention to.

The U.S. Department of Education recently announced its plan to develop and release a “College Score Card” intended to assist families compare college costs and net tuitions prices. If you’re wondering whether information on college tuition is already available, the answer is yes. This College Scorecard, however, is partly intended to help families determine “value.” That is, balancing the cost of attendance at particular institutions against measures like graduation rates, loan repayments percentages, and the likelihood of getting a job after graduation.

Increasingly, industries need individuals with a blend of bth content expertise and business acumen. As market forces become increasingly intertwined in both K-12 and postsecondary education, individuals with both content knowledge and management expertise have much to offer.

I read Itir Toksöz’s post on the merits of scholarly travel in August of last year, just as I was finalizing the details for my most recent trip to Brazil. Toksöz recognizes that traveling too frequently may be costly in terms of neglected “school” work, but argues persuasively in favor of traveling to conferences, in particular, as necessary for academic exchange and networking. I agree; however, scholars who are also parents need to consider the impact their work-related travel can have on their families.

Given how under-preprared our many of our students are, how can we be expected to overcome those deficiencies in one 15-week course?