Opinion

William Major wants his students to know what Frederick Douglass taught himself about the power of literacy and the importance of choices.

All of my professional career I've had a room of my own. The ability to close the door. Floor to ceiling walls. A window. A desk. A round table and chairs.

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.

Chris Blattman offers ideas on how to approach a professor to help you on part of the process for getting into a grad program or landing an academic job.