Leaders play musical chairs, with shorter stays and higher salaries, while institutions suffer from a lack of sustained guidance.
"The Academic Shuffle
Mostly links, occasionally musings, on academia, administration, and university life.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Colleges Should Cultivate Leaders Within Their Own Ranks
Sunday, June 26, 2011
How to Justify Our Paychecks
'Faculty productivity' is a hot issue. We need to be able to describe our jobs clearly, and then to determine how well we are doing them.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Starting Over?
Unhappy with how their leaders are chosen, adjuncts at California community college lead bid to decertify union and start a new one.
"Some Medical Deans Fail to Disclose Outside Income on University Web Sites
Seven of the 161 deans examined in a report served on the boards of health-industry companies. Some failed to disclose or underreported their corporate earnings.
"After Resolving Not to Micromanage, U. of Texas Regent Seeks Faculty-Productivity Data
Just hours after the chancellor of the University of Texas system urged regents not to micromanage the system’s universities, a newly appointed regent sent out an e-mail requesting detailed information about individual faculty members’ workloads, grades, and student evaluation scores, The Austin American-Statesman reports. The regent, Alex M. Cranberg, who was appointed in February, is a longtime associate of Jeff Sandefer, whose “Seven Breakthrough Solutions” for higher education form the framework for a controversial plan that Gov. Rick Perry has promoted statewide.
Mr. Cranberg submitted his request the same day the regents gave the chancellor, Francisco G. Cigarroa, an unqualified vote of support. Gene Powell, the chairman of the Board of Regents, said on Tuesday that Mr. Cranberg was simply gathering data. “The regents are not managing; they’re gathering information to study, which is their fiduciary responsibility,” he said.
"Texas Governor Skirts Process in Selecting Tea-Party Activist as Student Regent
Gov. Rick Perry of Texas bypassed the usual process for selecting student regents when he appointed a tea-party activist who had not applied through the student government at Texas A&M University, The Bryan-College Station Eagle is reporting. The newspaper quoted lawyers who said that, in doing so, the Republican governor might have violated a state law that spells out how the nonvoting student regents are supposed to be picked. The student, Fernando Trevino Jr., was appointed after applying directly to Mr. Perry’s office. The newspaper said candidates typically apply to the university’s student government, which forwards five names to the chancellor, who then sends two or more names to the governor for the final selection. Mr. Perry’s office has denied wrongdoing.
"Monday, May 16, 2011
Most Presidents Favor No Tenure for Majority of Faculty
Across higher education, a significant number say they would prefer long-term contracts for full-time professors.
"Presidents Don't Agree on What Signifies Quality
When asked how the public should assess colleges, their leaders cited measures whose reliability is often questioned: graduation rates and accreditation.
"It's More Than Just the Degree, Graduates Say
Only 5 percent of the public agrees that college is an excellent value, but 84 percent of graduates attest that their own time on campus was worth the cost.
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