Opinion

A challenge greater than MOOCs is looming for much of higher education, writes William G. Durden.

For most graduate students, writing papers and a dissertation is one of the more dreadful parts of the research process. Writing, and organizing your thoughts in such a way that it becomes clear for peers in your field, can be a challenging task. As a result, writer’s block is one of the most commonly heard troubles of graduate students.

This week I had the pleasure of attending a panel discussion on the ‘Corporatization of the University’ with former fellows of The Susan Vogt Leadership Fellows Program through the Boston Consortium for Higher Education.

Since I started my Ph.D., almost a year and a half ago, I’ve often wondered what a “Ph.D.” really is, what it actually means.

You want cynicism? You want clever, obscene, hilarious cynicism? James Joyce's Ulysses is a real gusher.

Having recently struggled in vain to find something recent and watchable, I have some notes for you.

When I was in 9th grade (in 1984) I subscribed to 4 car magazines: Motor Trend, Car & Driver, Road & Track, and & Automobile. Today, my fondest dream is to own zero cars and to rent an occasional Zip Car (preferably a Prius, Volt, or Leaf) whenever the need for driving should arise.

Serving on a school board has increased my exposure to acronyms. I started my board service already understanding STEM, and have now gained a familiarity with (but not a respect for) the APPR evaluation system. I am also familiar with ELA, especially when it involves an added emphasis on testing, and have now added LOTE to my acronym assortment.