Category Archives: Education Policy

Creating the “No 1. Public University in the U.S.”

Posted on May 4, 2011 by briansandberg

The Board of Regents of the University of Texas system has a new plan to turn the University of Texas at Austin into “no. 1 public university in the U.S.” The plan involves cutting tuition in half while simultaneously increasing … Continue reading →

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Merit Scholarships to Law School

Posted on May 1, 2011 by briansandberg

Imagine winning a “full ride” scholarship to law school, potentially worth $100,000 or more.  Sounds great, right?  Be sure to read the fine print…. A report in the New York Times shows that many scholarships to law school are based … Continue reading →

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Women’s Access to Public Education

Posted on April 29, 2011 by briansandberg

As discussion of education budgets for 2012 moves forward, historian Jill Lepore provides a poignant reminder of the importance of public education in the lives of women. Jill Lepore’s op-ed, entitled “Poor Jane’s Almanac,” appears in the New York Times.

Posted in Education Policy, Humanities Education, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Highest Paid University Personnel at NIU

Posted on April 29, 2011 by briansandberg

Who are the highest paid university personnel at Northern Illinois University? The answer: the football coach is #1, the president comes in at #2.  Coaches, the athletic director, and non-academic administrators round out most of the rest of the top … Continue reading →

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A $10,000 BA Degree?

Posted on April 29, 2011 by briansandberg

Can you imagine a student earning a BA degree for a mere $10,000?  That’s not $10,000 per year, but total cost for a 4-year BA or BS degree. This is the latest proposal for educational “reform” by Texas Governor Rick … Continue reading →

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Bob Lehrman on Faculty Unionization

Posted on April 23, 2011 by briansandberg

Bob Lehrman, a former White House aide and an adjunct professor of communications at American University, wrote a thoughtful op-ed on faculty unionization in the Washington Post on Friday. Lehrman calls himself a “hobbyist” adjunct, yet supports unionization efforts.  He … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, Humanities Education | 2 Comments

Business Education as a Model?

Posted on April 18, 2011 by briansandberg

Are you sure that you want to take business education as a model? Many businessmen and higher education “reformers”, such as Jeff Sandefer in Texas (see previous post), argue that business education points the way to “transform” academics for the … Continue reading →

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Evaluating Faculty by “Productivity”?

Posted on April 18, 2011 by briansandberg

Across the United States, there have been attempts to corporatize universities and to evaluate faculty “productivity” using student evaluations and business metrics. Now comes news that Texas Governor Rick Perry intervened in academic decision-making, pushing Texas universities to adopt a … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, Humanities Education | 1 Comment

University Administrators’ Salaries

Posted on April 11, 2011 by briansandberg

Salary inequities continue to get worse at universities and colleges across the United States.  Over the past generation, the number of administrators have grown, while faculty numbers have remained almost constant.  Those administrators’ salaries have also ballooned, while faculty salaries … Continue reading →

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Higher Education as an Export?

Posted on April 8, 2011 by briansandberg

A new article by the Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Commerce Department treats Higher Education in the United States as an exportable commodity. Undoubtedly American higher education involves study abroad programs, student exchange programs, international student recruitment, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education Policy, Globalization, Humanities Education, Uncategorized | Leave a comment