Blogs

The Minerva Project announced $25 million in seed funding today from Benchmark Capital, promising to found the first "elite university" in the U.S. in over a century. The university -- online and for-profit -- has some big names on its advisory board. But can it actually live up to this big vision and promise (and investment)?

As I work on the last revisions to my dissertation (by the time this post goes live I will have mailed my dissertation draft to my committee), I oftentimes find myself thinking back to the long road that brought me to this moment. Eight years ago, around this time of year, I was accepted at an upstate New York university for my Master’s degree, and I knew this move would change me forever. In the summer of 2004, I would leave my little island, move to a town a few hours away from New York City, and spend the next five years reading, writing, and thinking deep thoughts in hopes of achieving a PhD in English.

Have you noticed that books are looking more and more like apps? Do you find yourself buying books from the Kindle Single store? Browsing the nonfiction selections at nowandthenreader.com? Checking out the original stories at atavist.net? Getting excited about the newest release from the TED Books?

Is it better to keep my current administrative position in the hopes that a dept chair or dean position becomes available in my area or is it better to pursue a degree, fill the gaps in my experience and hope that someone will consider me for a CC dean position?

Reflecting on the success of #dayofhighered.

During my first PhD anthropology theory course, it was suggested to us that we should start writing every single day. Our professor told us that we needed to sit down for an hour every single day, or most days of the week, and just write. We shouldn't focus on a specific topic, or try to answer a question, but rather we should just write whatever is on our mind. Honestly, I've been a fairly good writer since high school, and I wrote a lot in undergrad, so I wasn't concerned with it. I had to do half a dozen 25 page papers during my masters, and I had just finished writing my thesis. Practicing writing was the least of my worries.

Last week, out of the blue, I received an email from my Ph.D. advisor with a subject line: “a question about your thesis.” It’s been 15 years since I completed my thesis, so, intrigued, I opened the email…

Here we go again: another round of “Inside Blackboard,” another long (2800 word) blog. Last week’s announcements were big and bold. Let’s break it down into manageable parts.