Blogs

Can an academic decide, mid-career, to reinvent herself? I'll find out since that's exactly what I'm going to try and do. Digital Humanities, here I come!

At dinner last night, TW saw a ladybug crawling on the wall. I was drafted to catch it and set it loose outside, but it fell to the floor and scurried under the rug.

I remember one occasion, in my first year of graduate school, when a classmate asked a question in class. I have no memory of what the question was, but I recall the professor’s answer vividly. He told her "that question cannot be asked."

I think I love running meetings because I love teaching. The skills to run a good meeting and run a good classroom are related. The experience of keeping a class full of students all together is great preparation for doing the same with colleagues in a meeting. Good teaching, even lecturing, is about conversation. So are good meetings.

A new correspondent writes with a seemingly simple question: What professional development do you recommend for a newly appointed community college Dean of Instruction?

Hashtags are everywhere. Higher Education Twitter aficionados use a variety of them to engage, ask questions, and for networking. Perhaps the most notable of student affairs hashtags is #SAchat. The #SAchat hashtag has a massive level of engagement.

Recent research concerning higher education in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, China, India) reflects as many differences as there are in economic models and cultures But one similarity among these emerging economic powerhouses is the urgent need to improve academic culture. All four countries aspire to being recognized as home to world-class research-focused universities, but this class of institution requires a vibrant, merit-based academic culture.

Yesterday I was fortunate to listen to George Kuh, Indiana University, Bloomington professor and author of Student Success in College: Creating Conditions that Matter .