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Inside Higher EdAlamo Colleges see improvement with summer momentum experimentStudents want to pursue law to give back but are discouraged by high costsUMBC students protest over sexual assault, university responseProfessor cites boycott of Israeli universities in declining to write recommendation letter for studentDams Are Changing Amazonian RiversGrad Students Beyond Grad SchoolAdvice for making the most of job season (opinion)New Report on Alternative Credentials and Pathways to DegreesAcademic Minute: Dams and the AmazonYale to Spend $26M on Faculty Retention, RecruitmentBerkeley Professor Found to Have Harassed Grad Student Resigns, Plans to SueProfessor Who Used N-Word Won’t Teach Required CoursesAAUP Condemns Trump’s Tweet on Hurricane StudyProfessors Question Gift to Saint Louis UWhy asking students their preferred pronoun is not a good idea (opinion)Stackability Beyond the Bachelor’sTexas Tech opens a branch campus in Costa RicaAuthor discusses new book on how Latino students shape identityNew presidents or provosts: Bay State Central Michigan Central Ohio Marian Pitt Southern Maine SVA UT System UVASummer probations raise the question of when an accreditor should disclose a college’s status

https://www.insidehighered.com/admin/content Free Higher Education News, Jobs, Career Advice and Events for college and university faculty, adjuncts, graduate students, and administrators. en https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/19/alamo-colleges-see-improvement-summer-momentum-experiment <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>A program that began as a unique initiative to eliminate “summer melt” has also led to increases in the number of students returning to campus and taking on larger course loads to get to graduation quicker.</p> <p>The Alamo Colleges District is two years into its <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/11/15/alamo-colleges-hope-free-summer-courses-will-encourage-momentum-graduation” target=”_blank”>Summer Momentum Program</a>, which officially started in 2017 and provides scholarships for free <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/11/15/alamo-colleges-hope-free-summer-courses-will-encourage-momentum-graduation” target=”_blank”>summer courses</a> at its system of five Texas community colleges to students who earned at least 18 credit hours in the preceding fall and spring. Students who carry between 18- and 24-credit course loads can receive up to six free credit hours in the subsequent summer.</p> <p>The program was created to counter what some academics call “summer melt,” which occurs when students who were enrolled in the spring don't return for the fall semester, and to encourage more students to attend full-time. So far, more than 7,000 Alamo students, about 34 percent of the total student population, have participated in the program each year, according to the district's data. The free courses cost the system about $3 million a year.</p> <p>“We did see higher levels of persistence and we saw slightly higher grade point averages as they persisted compared to those who did not take advantage of the summer momentum program,” said Diane Snyder, Alamo’s vice chancellor for finance and administration and interim vice chancellor for economic and work-force development.</p> <p>At San Antonio College, 42.5 percent of students in the summer program were enrolled during the following fall semester in 2017 compared to 28 percent of students who did not receive the scholarship. Northwest Vista College also saw significant gains in <a href=”/sites/default/server_files/media/Summer%202017%20Students%20Participating%20in%20the%20Summer%20Momentum%20Program.pdf” target=”_blank”>persistence</a> in the first year of the program, with 63.6 percent of students in the summer program enrolling the subsequent fall compared to 43.2 percent of their peers who did not participate in the summer program.</p> <p>The system also saw students taking more classes in the summer than the scholarships covered. For example, of the more than 3,700 students who qualified for three free credits in the summer, about two-thirds of them enrolled in more credit hours. Among those who qualified for six free credit hours — about 3,800 students — about one-third of them enrolled in more than six credits. This year for the first time, students could choose to use summer Pell Grant funding to cover the costs of courses that weren't covered by the scholarship.</p> <p>Davis Jenkins, a senior research associate with the Community College Research Center at Teachers College at Columbia University, said the numbers indicate a consciousness among program administrators and participating students about the time and work it takes to earn a degree.</p> <p>“Most community college students nationally don’t have a plan or know how far they have to go, or even know they need to get through quickly,” he said.</p> <p>Jenkins said the increases Alamo is seeing reflect the work the district is doing as part of its guided pathways effort, which helps students identify the credits they have, the credits they need and how long it will take them to graduate.</p> <p>“Colleges are increasing their full-time enrollment even in some cases where head-count enrollment is declining because students are taking more courses,” he said. “And they’re able to take more courses because every student is on a plan.”</p> <p>Despite the early successes of the summer initiative, some challenges remain.</p> <p>“We had thought perhaps in the second summer we’d see more students taking advantage of the program, and so far, we’re seeing about the same,” Snyder said. “So we need to peel that onion a little more.”</p> <p>About 50 percent of eligible students who earned 18 to 24 credits over the fall and spring semesters have participated in the program each year. In 2017, more than 14,200 students qualified for the scholarship, and in 2018, 14,290 students were eligible for the program. The number of students participating in the program has remained relatively the same since it began. A total of 7,256 students participated in 2017, but this past summer only 7,225 students received the scholarship.</p> <p>District officials suspect that some students who are eligible for the scholarship may graduate from Alamo before they can take advantage of it, or they may not be interested in taking more courses in the summer regardless of whether it’s free or not, Snyder said.</p> <p>The colleges plan to dig into the data to understand why eligible students are not enrolling in the free courses. The system also plans to follow the students for longer than two summers to see whether they graduate or transfer, but so far, it’s too early for that level of detail, Snyder said.</p> <p>There have been several popular initiatives around the country to help students increase the number of courses they take each year so they can graduate sooner. For instance, Complete College America, a nonprofit organization, promotes a 15 to Finish initiative that encourages students to pursue at least 15 credits per semester. And California has a new program that awards qualified community college students up to $4,000 a year if they take 15 credits or more per semester. Meanwhile, in Ohio, Marion Technical College has a <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/05/17/ohio-college-unveils-second-year-tuition-free-students-who-finish-30-credits-their” target=”_blank”>new program</a> that awards students a tuition-free second year — or 35 credit hours free — if they complete at least 30 hours of college-level courses in the first year while earning a 2.5 grade point average.</p> <p>The next step for Alamo will be examining the data to determine who is taking advantage of the program and whether they’re closing racial equity gaps, Jenkins said. He noted that the gains at Palo Alto College are significant because it’s also a Hispanic-serving institution.</p> <p>“This could be big in community colleges,” he said. “All of the colleges over all are improving and that’s really impressive … but how is this benefiting older students, low-income students and students of color?”</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-art-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>Community Colleges</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Editorial Tags: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” rel=”dc:subject”><a href=”/tags/communitycolleges” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Community colleges</a></div><div class=”field-item odd” rel=”dc:subject”><a href=”/tags/texas” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Texas</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-image-source field-type-text field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Image Source: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>St. Philip's College</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter-order field-type-number-integer field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Newsletter Order: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>0</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-magazine-treatment field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Magazine treatment: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Ashley A. Smith 259981 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/19/students-want-pursue-law-give-back-are-discouraged-high-costs <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>Undergraduates considering a law degree are motivated by a desire to contribute to the public good, but high costs and work-life balance concerns deter some of them, according to a study released today.</p> <p><a href=”https://www.aals.org/research/” target=”_blank”>The study</a>, conducted by the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and Gallup, utilized survey responses from more than 22,000 undergraduates at 25 four-year institutions and more than 2,700 first-year law students at 44 different law schools. (Note: <em>Inside Higher Ed</em> works with Gallup on some surveys but had no role in this one.)</p> <p>Researchers administered the survey during a dramatic dip in law school applications: between 2011 and 2016, the number of law school applications fell by 38 percent, from 87,900 to 54,500. According to Judith Areen, AALS executive director, applicant numbers plateaued in 2016 and 2017 and increased by 8 percent in 2018.</p> <p>“[The application decline] brought home the need to better understand what college students think about law schools,” Areen said. “For students, the more we understand about them, the better law schools can do in meeting their expectations.”</p> <p>Parental education plays a major role in student decisions about law school. Only 12 percent of American adults age 45 to 64 have an advanced degree, but 55 percent of undergraduate students considering law school had at least one parent with an advanced degree. Family members are also the primary source of advice for undergraduates considering law. To Areen, this indicates that law schools need to work harder to reach first-generation students who might not have that family network.</p> <p>“Law schools and graduate schools have to do a better job of getting more information to first-generation students so they know about the possibilities and they apply on time and get all the information they need,” she said.</p> <p>Law school isn't a last-minute decision. Over half of undergraduate respondents said they had considered law school before college, and one-third had considered it before high school.</p> <p>“[Law schools] need to start reaching out, not just during college but even before,” Areen said.</p> <p>When asked why they wanted to pursue a law degree, undergraduate students most often reported that law school would be a “pathway for a career in politics, government or public service,” that they had “a passion for or high interest in the type of work,” that a law degree would provide “opportunities to help others or to be useful to society” and that they wanted to “advocate for social change.”</p> <p>“We think the reasons they give are pretty interesting and will be a surprise to people who think of lawyers as only interested in money and greed,” Areen said.</p> <p>Law school tuition continues to rise. <a href=”https://data.lawschooltransparency.com/costs/tuition/?scope=national” target=”_blank”>Data</a> from Law School Transparency, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, shows that between 2011 and 2017 the average annual sticker price for a U.S. public law school increased by about $4,500, or 17 percent, while tuition at private law schools increased by more than $7,000 — 15 percent. Undergraduates considering law school cited high costs/potential debt and work-life balance as the greatest deterrents. So did the first-year law school students.</p> <p>“Cost and work-life balance are cited by undergraduates who are still making up their mind, but the same two are cited by first-year law students,” Areen said. “So that shows us that the same two are barriers, but they still came to law school anyway.”</p> <p>Jim Greif, director of communications for AALS, added that the same two deterrents were cited by students considering other types of advanced degrees, such as master's programs, Ph.D.s or medical degrees.</p> <p>Other notable findings include:</p> <ul> <li>Women are more likely than men to say that law school is too hard and that they don’t want to defend guilty people, while men are more likely to say that three years is too long and that too few jobs in the field pay enough money.</li> <li>Fifteen percent of undergraduates considering an advanced degree reported hearing about law programs, while 55 percent of students considering law school reported hearing about them. This may be due to confirmation bias, that students who are interested in law degrees will seek out and remember information about law school.</li> <li>Students with a lower grade point average are more likely to pursue law school because it could lead to a higher-paying job rather than because they're passionate about the work or see law as a path to a career in politics or public service.</li> </ul> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Editorial Tags: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” rel=”dc:subject”><a href=”/editorial-tags/law” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Law</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-image-source field-type-text field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Image Source: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>iStock</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-image-caption field-type-text field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Image Caption: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>University of Michigan law school</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter-order field-type-number-integer field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Newsletter Order: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>0</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-magazine-treatment field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Magazine treatment: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Emma Whitford 260861 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/19/umbc-students-protest-over-sexual-assault-university-response <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>Students at the <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/163268/university-maryland-baltimore-county” target=”_blank”>University of Maryland, Baltimore County</a>, stormed the administration building and confronted the president this week, irate over the institution’s handling of sexual assaults. They accused officials of defending rapists and demanded that a contingent of students be removed or suspended.</p> <p>The display stems from a federal <a href=”http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bal-document-class-action-lawsuit-baltimore-county-sexual-assaults-20180917-htmlstory.html” target=”_blank”>lawsuit</a> filed last week by two former UMBC students who said they were raped but that their reports were bungled or ignored. In one case, a student alleged that UMBC police discouraged her from filing a formal complaint and that the institution rushed the investigation. The other student said she was gang-raped by three UMBC baseball players who, she said, escaped punishment. A lawyer for the two women (whom <em>Inside Higher Ed</em> is not naming as victims of sexual assault) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p> <p>In addition to suing UMBC administrators and the University System of Maryland, the plaintiffs have named as defendants several Baltimore County officials, including the Baltimore County state’s attorney. They also named the county police department, which was the subject of an explosive 2016 <em>BuzzFeed</em> <a href=”https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alexcampbell/unfounded” target=”_blank”>investigation</a> that found it did not thoroughly investigate rape cases and had labeled 34 percent of them “unfounded.” The national average is only 7 percent. <em>BuzzFeed</em>’s report prompted a review of department practices and cases.</p> <p>Students began their protest on the UMBC grounds Monday evening and moved to the administration building — over the weekend, the campus had been papered with posters proclaiming, “UMBC protects rapists.”</p> <p>The activists had printed out a list of demands, among them that Paul Dillon, UMBC’s chief of police, be removed “for his failure to enact justice” and “fear tactics” against sexual assault survivors. The students also pressed for the suspension of multiple other officials, including a coordinator of campus sexual assault investigations, the head baseball coach and a program associate for diversity and inclusion.</p> <p>As they piled into a tight conference room on Monday night to meet with UMBC president Freeman A. Hrabowski III — an impromptu move, as a sit-in was not planned — the students read their demands and asked for an apology from all upper-level administrators. For more than an hour, students questioned and criticized Hrabowski — in one particularly tense exchange, a former UMBC student and local reporter for the <em>Baltimore </em><em>Post-Examiner</em>, an online news outlet, accused him of knowing of the sexual assault issues on campus for more than a year, according to <em><a href=”http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/higher-ed/bs-md-umbc-lawsuit-20180917-story.html#” target=”_blank”>The Baltimore Sun</a>.</em></p> <p>Hrabowski offered an apology and told the group he was proud of them.</p> <p>“Clearly we have not done a good enough job,” he said.</p> <p>Among the group's other demands: that the university hire a nationally recognized sexual assault survivor group to consult on new policies, that all students undergo mandated sexual assault prevention education, that students accused of sexual misconduct be suspended from athletics and other leadership roles and that health services be revamped to stay open 24 hours. The students also want nurses to be trained in administering rape kits.</p> <p>University spokeswoman Dinah Winnick did not immediately answer <em>Inside Higher Ed</em>’s question (via email) about whether the president would honor the students’ demands.</p> <p>“Over the past few days, we have had important dialogue with students about campus response to sexual misconduct reports,” Winnick wrote in an email. “Our focus now is on listening so that we can build relationships and work together to develop and implement solutions that help us live out our community values.”</p> <p>UMBC junior John Platter, who is also executive director of the LGBT Student Union, was one of the protest leaders. Platter, himself a sexual assault survivor, said the institution mishandled his case — though he was intoxicated and said he couldn't consent at the time of the incident, officials didn’t have enough evidence to find the accused student responsible, he said. Platter met with Hrabowski and other administrators over the weekend and said he and the activists had walked away feeling “anxious.”</p> <p>Platter said he believes Hrabowski was “intrigued” by the number of students who protested on Monday and that they will effect some change.</p> <p>“Obviously we can’t leave the university to its own devices,” Platter said. “Any change the university makes on its own may not be enough. We have to make sure that the university prioritizes the safety of survivors.”</p> <p>Platter has met with the Undergraduate Senate, which will consider drafting legislation to support the student coalition, Platter said. He intends to do the same with other university governing bodies.</p> <p>Officials have already scheduled a town hall for Thursday to discuss sexual misconduct on campus. UMBC posted a statement over the weekend acknowledging the lawsuit. While officials could not comment on specifics of the case, the statement said, “it is essential to state that our campus is committed to safety and respect for all people and takes matters related to sexual misconduct very seriously.”</p> <p>Last week, the university had sponsored a training for students, professors and staffers on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the federal gender antidiscrimination lawsuit barring sexual violence on campus. The university said 125 people attended.</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Editorial Tags: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” rel=”dc:subject”><a href=”/editorial-tags/sexual-assault” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Sexual assault</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter-order field-type-number-integer field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Newsletter Order: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>0</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-magazine-treatment field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Magazine treatment: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-school field-type-node-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>College: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/college/163268/university-maryland-baltimore-county”>University of Maryland-Baltimore County</a></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Jeremy Bauer-Wolf 260896 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/19/professor-cites-boycott-israeli-universities-declining-write-recommendation-letter <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>Does a professor have a right to refuse to write a recommendation for a student due to his own political convictions?</p> <p><img alt=”Text of email: Re: Academic Letter of Recommendation for Semester Abroad. Abigail, I am very sorry, but I only scanned your first email a couple weeks ago and missed out on a key detail: As you may know, many university departments have pledged an academic boycott against Israel in support of Palestinians living in Palestine. This boycott includes writing letters of recommendation for students planning to study there. I should have let you know earlier, and for that I apologize. But for reasons of these politics, I must rescind my offer to write your letter. Let me know if you need me to write other letters for you, as I’d be happy, John. John Cheney-Lippold” src=”/sites/default/server_files/media/email_0.jpg” style=”width: 540px; height: 960px; float: left; margin: 10px;” />A professor at the <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/170976/university-michigan-ann-arbor” target=”_blank”>University of Michigan</a> declined to write a recommendation for a student to study abroad upon realizing the student’s chosen program was in Israel. In an email to the student, which was posted as a screenshot (at left) on Facebook by the pro-Israel group Club Z and was first reported by Israeli media, the professor cites support for the boycott of Israeli academic institutions as the reason why he was rescinding an offer to write a recommendation letter. At the same time he indicated he would be happy to write other letters for the student, who is identified only as “Abigail.”</p> <p>"As you may know, many university departments have pledged an academic boycott against Israel in support of Palestinians living in Palestine," says the email from John Cheney-Lippold, an associate professor in the American culture and digital studies department at Michigan. "This boycott includes writing letters of recommendation for students planning to study there."</p> <p>"I should have let you know earlier, and for that I apologize. But for reasons of these politics, I must rescind my offer to write your letter."</p> <p>"Let me know if you need me to write other letters for you, as I'd be happy," the email concludes.</p> <p>“I firmly stand by the decision because I stand against inequality, I stand against oppression and occupation, I stand against apartheid and I use that word very, very seriously," Cheney-Lippold said in a phone interview with <em>Inside Higher Ed</em>.</p> <p>He confirmed that he sent the email but clarified that he made a mistake in saying that many university departments have supported the boycott against Israeli universities. What he should have said is that many individual professors do.</p> <p>Cheney-Lippold said it is appropriate for professors' political and ethical stances to inform their choices of whether and when to write letters on their students' behalf. "The idea of writing a letter of recommendation is a part of being a professor where your own subjectivity comes into play," he said. "I don’t want professors to be seen as just rubber-stamping … A professor should have a decision on how their words will be taken and where their words will go."</p> <p>"I have extraordinary political and ethical conflict lending my name to helping that student go to that place."</p> <p>The University of Michigan, for its part, issued a statement affirming its <a href=”https://publicaffairs.vpcomm.umich.edu/key-issues/statement-by-the-university-of-michigan-president-and-provost-regarding-the-proposed-boycott-of-israeli-academic-institutions/” target=”_blank”>opposition</a> to the boycott of Israeli academic institutions, and clarifying that no academic department or unit has taken a stance in support of it.</p> <p>"Injecting personal politics into a decision regarding support for our students is counter to our values and expectations as an institution," the university said in a statement issued Tuesday. An earlier statement from the university described the faculty member's decision as "disappointing," but that language was removed from the subsequent statement, which a spokesman said was revised for purposes of concision.</p> <p>The cases raises complex questions for professors about academic freedom and faculty obligations. Generally, most would probably agree that principles of academic freedom give a professor every right to refuse to write a letter on the basis of a student's poor academic performance. But to what extent is writing recommendation letters a faculty duty such that refusing to write one for nonacademic reasons breaks an unwritten social contract? How should institutions balance academic freedom with the expectation that faculty will write letters to support their students' academic goals — that is, when their performance in the classroom merits it?</p> <p>The questions at issue are not settled ones, even from the perspective of the main body that advocates for faculty freedoms and rights, the American Association of University Professors. The AAUP has a long-standing policy of opposing academic boycotts.</p> <p>“In general, AAUP policy does not address whether faculty are obligated to write letters of reference,” said Hans-Joerg Tiede, the associate secretary of the AAUP's Department of Academic Freedom, Tenure and Governance. “I think that it's generally understood that writing such letters falls within the professional duties of faculty members. I also think that it's generally understood that faculty members may decline to write a particular letter in particular instances, for example, because they believe that they have insufficient information on which to base such a letter. In general, refusing to write a letter of reference on grounds that are discriminatory would appear to be at odds with the AAUP’s Statement on Professional Ethics."</p> <p>John K. Wilson, the co-editor of the AAUP's blog, "Academe," said, "Writing a letter of recommendation is not like teaching a class; it is a voluntary activity, and not a necessary part of one’s academic work. Professors are given broad discretion to decide how, and if, to write a letter. And they can decline if they think the opportunity is not in the best interests of the student, even if the student disagrees."</p> <p>"However, I think it is morally wrong for professors to impose their political views on student letters of recommendation." Wilson stressed however, that the professor should not be punished. "If a professor was systematically refusing to write letters of recommendation because they are time-consuming and unrewarded in academia, it might be appropriate for colleagues to judge it as a small mark against them on the service criterion. But a singular case like this certainly should not be punished in any way," he said.</p> <p>Cary Nelson, a former AAUP president and an opponent of the movement to boycott Israeli academic institutions, argued on the other hand that the professor could be punished. "What the professor did violated the student’s academic freedom — the right to apply to study at any program anywhere in the world," said Nelson, a professor emeritus of English and Jewish culture and society at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.</p> <p>Nelson said he believes it is a violation of professional ethics for a professor to decline to write a letter for a student on the basis of politics. A faculty member has the right not to write a recommendation, but not based on political objections to the university or nation in which the student is interested in studying, or the student’s own politics, Nelson argued.</p> <p>Max Samarov, the executive director of research and campus strategy for StandWithUs, a pro-Israel organization, accused the professor of dereliction of duty. StandWithUs opposes the spread of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel on campuses and <a href=”https://www.standwithus.com/booklets/ExplainingBDS/files/ExplainingBDS.pdf” target=”_blank”>views BDS</a> as an "expression of the new anti-Semitism that targets the Jewish state instead of Jewish people."</p> <p>"This professor's job is to help students educate themselves about the world. Refusing to do his job simply because it conflicts with his personal politics is reprehensible. The fact that he did this in service of a discriminatory agenda like BDS only makes it worse," Samarov said.</p> <p>Reflecting a different view, David Klein, a professor of mathematics at California State University, Northridge, and a member of the organizing collective of the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, argued it was the professor’s prerogative not to write the letter. Klein, who <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/12/05/california-state-debates-whether-resume-study-abroad-israel” target=”_blank”>opposes study abroad programming in Israel</a>, said he agreed with Cheney-Lippold's decision.</p> <p>"First of all, a professor has a right to decline a request to write a letter of recommendation under any circumstances: that’s a choice a professor makes about a student and a goal. In this case I think it’s the ethical thing to do. The study abroad program for Israel is really a propaganda program to legitimize the apartheid system in Israel and I think it’s proper for a professor to object to participate in that," Klein said.</p> <p>Asked whether a professor’s political views can constitute valid reasons not to write a recommendation, Klein said, “I think that’s a complicated question, because politics is a very broad category. But within politics there are ethical principles, too. Antiracism is a political position, and I think antiracism is a legitimate political position to invoke in situations like this, whereas other more superficial political considerations like Republican versus Democrat would not be appropriate.”</p> <p>"Study abroad programs in Israel are not open to all U.S. students," said Cynthia Franklin, another member of USACBI's organizing collective and a professor of English at the University of Hawaii. "Israel can and does deny entry to diasporic Palestinian students, as well as to non-Palestinian Muslims and Arabs. Palestinian students are not free to travel in or out of the country to pursue their educational goals."</p> <p>"Israel's <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/03/10/scholars-speak-out-against-new-law-barring-supporters-boycotts-entering-israel” target=”_blank”>antiboycott laws</a> also mean that they can bar entry to any students who are known for their work supporting the BDS movement," Franklin said.</p> <p>"As a supporter of the academic boycott, like John Cheney-Lippold, I would decline to write a letter of recommendation for a student applying to a study abroad program in Israel. I could not write such a letter in good conscience, as that would mean that I would be supporting and legitimating an academic program that is discriminatory. This student would, of course, be free to ask for a letter of recommendation from another faculty member."</p> <p>Cheney-Lippold said he was uncomfortable with the focus being on him and the decision of whether or not to write a recommendation rather than the conditions he sought to draw attention to. "I never wanted to be the story," he said. "I want to be able to use the tactic of a boycott to highlight the apartheid system, to highlight the discrimination that’s happening, to put the spotlight not on a single professor at the University of Michigan, but why might a professor have done this.”</p> <p>He said he has not heard from the student since he sent the email Sept. 5.</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Editorial Tags: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” rel=”dc:subject”><a href=”/editorial-tags/academic-freedom” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Academic freedom</a></div><div class=”field-item odd” rel=”dc:subject”><a href=”/editorial-tags/israel” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Israel</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter-order field-type-number-integer field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Newsletter Order: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>0</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-magazine-treatment field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Magazine treatment: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-school field-type-node-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>College: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/college/170976/university-michigan-ann-arbor”>University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</a></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Elizabeth Redden 260931 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/audio/2018/09/19/dams-are-changing-amazonian-rivers <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>New dams in the Amazon could threaten ecosystems. In today’s Academic Minute, <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/133951/florida-international-university” target=”_blank”>Florida International University</a>’s Elizabeth Anderson describes the challenges of new dams changing the flow of rivers in the basin. Anderson is an assistant professor in the department of earth and environment at Florida International. A transcript of this podcast can be found <a href=”https://academicminute.org/2018/09/elizabeth-anderson-florida-international-university-dams-are-changing-amazonian-rivers/” target=”_blank”>here</a>.</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-audio-name field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Section: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/academic-minute” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Academic Minute</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-file field-type-file field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>File: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><span class=”file”><img class=”file-icon” alt=”Audio icon” title=”audio/mpeg” src=”/modules/file/icons/audio-x-generic.png” /> <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/09-19-18%20Florida%20International%20-%20Dams%20Are%20Changing%20Amazonian%20Rivers.mp3″ type=”audio/mpeg; length=6001919″>09-19-18 Florida International – Dams Are Changing Amazonian Rivers.mp3</a></span></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-event-s-date field-type-date field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Event's date: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><span class=”date-display-single” property=”dc:date” datatype=”xsd:dateTime” content=”2018-09-18T14:00:00-04:00″>Tuesday, September 18, 2018 – 2:00pm</span></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-school field-type-node-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>School: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/college/133951/florida-international-university”>Florida International University</a></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Doug Lederman 260866 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/grad-students-beyond-grad-school-1 <div class=”field field-name-field-blog-name field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix”><div class=”field-label”>Blog: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/blogs/gradhacker” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>GradHacker</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p><img height=”492″ src=”https://bloghyped.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/cSnJzyBA2DPKKcblM0nlaRBlKSX0Gko_MG9NKQvPJLVqwk3pBIxMSo2QJA0XtCUVkyEZUwvb1zH44PR_CNqhSan9M8EOiLGyFS8xdZ1tTsqHFSPauLgUkZ4k8oRa5SzBEXKEA7SF” style=”border: none;” width=”624″ /></p> <div> <p>Here at GradHacker, we tend to focus on the negative side of graduate school: problems that need solving, inconveniences that need addressing, support that needs giving. However, every couple of months we focus on the really cool things that graduate students are doing in the world. On how graduate students are using their expertise to change things for the better, make someone’s life easier, or just create something nifty.</p> <p><a href=”https://twitter.com/hvanmouwerik?lang=en”>Heather</a>: I am one of those people who really loves true crime (SSDGM, of course). Yet, you can’t be interested in this subject without recognizing how profoundly blind the justice system can be to women of color. So when I heard <a href=”https://www.npr.org/2018/07/21/627567789/doctoral-student-compiles-database-of-indigenous-women-who-ve-gone-missing”>NPR’s profile of Annita Lucchesi</a>, a doctoral student at the University of Lethbridge, I was enthralled. Lucchesi’s research, <a href=”https://www.mmiwdatabase.com/”>a compilation of missing persons reports</a>, proves that we face a crisis: native women in North America are disappearing and being murdered at an alarming rate. Her work, honestly, exemplifies what graduate students can do.</p> <p><a href=”http://ingridjoylyn”>Ingrid</a>: I discovered <a href=”http://christineliuart.com”>Christine Liu’s art</a> by chance when one of her many insightful tweets about academia appeared on my Twitter feed a few months ago. I’m so happy she popped up. As co-founder of <a href=”http://twophotonart.com”>Two Photon Art</a>, Christine, a PhD candidate in neuroscience at UC Berkeley, has released STEM-related zines, workbooks, and pins to support social justice issues from voting to water crises. Their latest project is a <a href=”https://twophotonart.com/blogs/news/call-for-submissions-stemtoo-zine”>#STEMtoo zine</a>, with submissions due October 1st. Follow her on <a href=”https://twitter.com/christineliuart”>Twitter</a> for more!</p> <p>[<a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/srahn/7570048310/in/photolist-cwWtCj-Wux2DJ-23qfgf7-25ndQcg-21VUw7N-VwRDSb-7vUVVg-KxgCom-EZWF6f-cbWmEE-HHKdix-DinBpX-bUzdFZ-qvPGSM-GP7gu7-cbWsfS-RbSLq2-21ay5w8-KWrRt2-8KnEiv-8KnQNM-j7wbKH-SkPkuE-9j9MGn-DU3mu3-Ek1TXp-6EKANM-LKvEYG-dYMCfB-7vVaGV-dR8sSA-pK2Qit-CVgbk2-fJTgKp-FHYKh-7vZ5uC-pZmPCq-a6Jaef-f5x1tm-5tVRim-bSBPBx-auFFtb-pK4YqW-nmHccc-FdwPRR-6vS2uX-x1aRS4-7vZ7rj-wmaPBA-bZ7hTu”>Image</a> is from Flickr user <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/srahn/”>Stephen Rahn</a> and is in the Public Domain]</p> </div> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-show-on-jobs-site field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Show on Jobs site: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-advice-newsletter-publicat field-type-datetime field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Advice Newsletter publication dates: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><span class=”date-display-single” property=”dc:date” datatype=”xsd:dateTime” content=”2018-09-18T00:00:00-04:00″>Tuesday, September 18, 2018</span></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter-publi field-type-datetime field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Diversity Newsletter publication date: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><span class=”date-display-single” property=”dc:date” datatype=”xsd:dateTime” content=”2018-09-18T00:00:00-04:00″>Tuesday, September 18, 2018</span></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:02:00 +0000 GradHacker 260981 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2018/09/19/advice-making-most-job-season-opinion <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>It requires a lot of forethought, as well as the use of skills that can be practiced and honed, advises Melissa Dennihy.</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-jobs-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Job Tags: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/job-tags/faculty-jobs” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>FACULTY JOBS</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-ad-keywords field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Ad keywords: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/ad-keywords/faculty” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>faculty</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Editorial Tags: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/editorial-tags/career-advice” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Career Advice</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-show-on-jobs-site field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Show on Jobs site: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-image-source field-type-text field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Image Source: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>Istockphoto.com/studiom1</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-image-size field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Image Size: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/image-size/thumbnail-horizontal” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Thumbnail-horizontal</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Melissa Dennihy 259541 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/09/19/new-report-alternative-credentials-and-pathways-degrees <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p><em>Inside Higher Ed</em>'s new report, "<a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/content/alternative-credentials-and-emerging-pathways-between-education-and-work?utm_source=ihe&utm_medium=editorial-site&utm_content=QuickTake20180919&utm_campaign=report_credentials_editorial” target=”_blank”>On-Ramps and Off-Ramps: Alternative Credentials and Emerging Pathways Between Education and Work</a>," is an up-to-the-minute look at how colleges, companies and other players are reconsidering how to measure and recognize knowledge and skills.</p> <p>The special report, <em>Inside Higher Ed</em>'s second, assesses the fast-changing landscape of postsecondary education and training credentials, based on interviews with scores of higher education leaders, corporate officials, policy makers and other experts. Paul Fain, <em>Inside Higher Ed</em>'s news editor, explores a wide range of examples of new kinds of credentials at all stages of the postsecondary pipeline: apprenticeships and other noncollege preparation for entry-level jobs; new pathways designed to lead to four-year degrees; badges and other add-ons to the traditional bachelor's degree; and shorter, narrower credentials that could disrupt graduate education.</p> <p>The report also examines the funding sources for the new credentials and the risk that the push for them widens rather than closes racial and gender gaps in educational attainment.</p> <p>The report is <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/content/alternative-credentials-and-emerging-pathways-between-education-and-work?utm_source=ihe&utm_medium=editorial-site&utm_content=QuickTake20180919&utm_campaign=report_credentials_editorial” target=”_blank”>available for purchase here</a>; you may also download a free preview of it from that page. And we invite you to <a href=”https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1842134/C21DD4F27009AAB72B0E32D86808EF61?partnerref=ESE” target=”_blank”>sign up for a webcast</a> on the themes of the report, featuring <em>Inside Higher Ed</em>'s editors, on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 2 p.m.</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-hide-by-line- field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Hide by line?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Doug Lederman 260791 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/09/19/academic-minute-dams-and-amazon <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p><a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/audio/2018/09/19/dams-are-changing-amazonian-rivers” target=”_blank”>Today on the Academic Minute</a>, Elizabeth Anderson, assistant professor in the department of earth and environment at <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/133951/florida-international-university” target=”_blank”>Florida International University</a>, describes the challenges of new dams changing the flow of rivers in the Amazon basin. Learn more about the Academic Minute <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/academic-minute” target=”_blank”>here</a>.</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-hide-by-line- field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Hide by line?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-school field-type-node-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>College: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/college/133951/florida-international-university”>Florida International University</a></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Doug Lederman 260871 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/09/19/yale-spend-26m-faculty-retention-recruitment <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p><a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/130794/yale-university” target=”_blank”>Yale University</a> is launching a five-year, $26 million initiative to “recruit and retain pre-eminent scholars in every field,” President Peter Salovey and Provost Ben Polak announced this week. Some of the resources will be devoted to current professors, including immediate salary adjustments in some areas of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences “where we need to be more competitive,” Salovey and Polak said in a <a href=”https://news.yale.edu/2018/09/17/yale-announces-26-million-initiative-recruit-retain-preeminent-faculty” target=”_blank”>letter to the faculty</a>. They said Yale also will establish a universitywide fund to recruit “truly transformative faculty,” or those professors “who redefine their fields, who not only answer important questions, but change the very questions that are asked. This is a high bar, but we want to encourage schools and departments to pursue such candidates.”</p> <p>Salovey and Polak said the earmarked funds augment a five-year, <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/10/13/yale-gives-update-50m-faculty-diversity-initiative” target=”_blank”>$50 million Faculty Excellence and Diversity Initiative</a> announced in 2015, and that “we remain committed to building a more diverse faculty.” They warned that resources alone are not enough to recruit and retain the best, and that Yale must otherwise work to ensure faculty excellence, such as by searching “again and again without compromising our standards” and maintaining “the highest tenure standards, even when decisions are difficult.” Building the kinds of community and climate that make it “very hard to leave” matters, too, they said.</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-ad-keywords field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Ad keywords: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/ad-keywords/administrators” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>administrators</a></div><div class=”field-item odd”><a href=”/ad-keywords/diversity” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>diversity</a></div><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/ad-keywords/faculty” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>faculty</a></div><div class=”field-item odd”><a href=”/ad-keywords/teachinglearning” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>teachinglearning</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-hide-by-line- field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Hide by line?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-school field-type-node-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>College: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/college/130794/yale-university”>Yale University</a></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Colleen Flaherty 260966 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/09/19/berkeley-professor-found-have-harassed-grad-student-resigns-plans-sue <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>Nezar AlSayyad, a professor of architecture at the <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/110635/university-california-berkeley” target=”_blank”>University of California, Berkeley</a>, who was <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/08/21/uc-berkeley-suspends-professor-harassment” target=”_blank”>suspended this summer</a> for three years without pay for sexually harassing a graduate student, resigned and is planning to sue the institution, the <em>San Francisco Chronicle </em><a href=”https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Suspended-UC-Berkeley-professor-retires-13236450.php” target=”_blank”>reported</a>. AlSayyad remains barred from campus through 2021, according to an administrative email sent to students, faculty and staff at the College of Environmental Design and obtained by the <em>Chronicle</em>.<em> </em>AlSayyad’s emeritus status reportedly will be withheld for three years, but he will receive his pension and retirement benefits immediately.</p> <p>AlSayyad has denied the harassment allegations. His attorney told the <em>Chronicle </em>this week that he plans to pursue legal action against the university to challenge his three-year ban and have his emeritus privileges reinstated after the one-year suspension period previously recommended by a faculty committee. A five-month investigation by Berkeley found that AlSayyad spent months grooming a graduate student before putting his hand on her upper thigh and proposing that they go to Las Vegas. Berkeley tripled the terms of the faculty-recommended suspension because administrators determined that AlSayyad had abused his power in trying to isolate the student from other mentors for his personal gain.</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-ad-keywords field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Ad keywords: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/ad-keywords/administrators” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>administrators</a></div><div class=”field-item odd”><a href=”/ad-keywords/faculty” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>faculty</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-hide-by-line- field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Hide by line?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-school field-type-node-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>College: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/college/110635/university-california-berkeley”>University of California, Berkeley</a></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Colleen Flaherty 260971 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/09/19/professor-who-used-n-word-wont-teach-required-courses <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>Paul Zwier, the professor of law at Emory University who was suspended from teaching earlier this semester for using<a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/08/31/n-word-simply-be-avoided-or-emory-wrong-suspend-law-professor-who-used-it”> the N-word </a>in a torts class to discuss a case involving racial discrimination, will only teach non-mandatory courses for the next two years so that no student is obligated to take his class, the university announced Tuesday. In a<a href=”http://news.emory.edu/stories/2018/09/upress_law_dean_hughes_letter/campus.html”> letter</a> to law students, faculty, staff and alumni, James B. Hughes, Jr., Emory’s interim dean of law, said Zwier volunteered to revise the teaching manual for his textbooks to address inclusive ways of covering racially sensitive topics, and that he will work with a small group of student leaders and faculty members to promote and participate in dialogues on racial sensitivity. Zwier also will complete sensitivity and unconscious bias training. </p> <p>Zwier “has agreed that each of the above actions is appropriate, and he is in full support of them,” Hughes wrote. “We are a diverse collection of individuals bound together by a common set of interests and values. We sometimes disagree among ourselves and disappoint each other, but the ties that bind us compel acceptance of our flaws and forgiveness of transgressions — especially when mistakes are acknowledged, sincere efforts to make amends are made, and forgiveness is sought. At this moment, we are presented with an opportunity to demonstrate and enhance our strength by drawing our community closer together. Let us seize it.”</p> <p>In a separate<a href=”http://news.emory.edu/stories/2018/09/upress_law_professor_zwier_letter/campus.html”> memo</a> to the law school, Zwier said that he’d used a word “that can and does cause harm, and I am writing to you to take responsibility for the harm I caused.” He added, “I have learned from this experience, and I am committed to taking positive steps – altering my torts materials and teacher’s manual to better insure that what happened is less likely to happen again in future discussions of these cases. In my classroom teaching, I will also endeavor to be more sensitive in future conversations about cases involving allegations of racist behavior. Please accept my apology.”</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-ad-keywords field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Ad keywords: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/ad-keywords/administrators” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>administrators</a></div><div class=”field-item odd”><a href=”/ad-keywords/diversity” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>diversity</a></div><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/ad-keywords/faculty” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>faculty</a></div><div class=”field-item odd”><a href=”/ad-keywords/teachinglearning” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>teachinglearning</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-hide-by-line- field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Hide by line?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Colleen Flaherty 260986 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/09/19/aaup-condemns-trumps-tweet-hurricane-study <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>The American Association of University Professors on Tuesday condemned what it called President Trump’s “disregard for and assault on science,” this time in relation to Trump’s comments about the credibility of a <a href=”https://publichealth.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/downloads/projects/PRstudy/Acertainment%20of%20the%20Estimated%20Excess%20Mortality%20from%20Hurricane%20Maria%20in%20Puerto%20Rico.pdf”>study</a> by George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health. AAUP’s<a href=”http://www.aaup.org/news/unacceptable-attacks-science#.W6HP4y2ZOfR” target=”_blank”> statement</a> says that Trump has "falsely claimed that the study, which found some 2,975 excess deaths in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria,” in 2017, was politically motivated. It cites a recent <a href=”https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1040220855400386560″ target=”_blank”>tweet</a> by Trump saying, "This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!"</p> <p>While the AAUP takes no position on the accuracy or inaccuracy of this or any other study, reads its statement, “such research can be properly evaluated only by qualified experts through open channels of review and debate. Studies of this sort must not become political footballs. For the president of the U.S. to accuse scholars of political bias, without a shred of evidence, is an unacceptable assault on independent research and the academic freedom of scientists.”</p> <p>The Milken Institute issued a<a href=”https://publichealth.gwu.edu/content/statement-issued-milken-institute-school-public-health-george-washington-university-sept-0″> statement </a>last week standing by its research integrity and accuracy. “This study, commissioned by the government of Puerto Rico, was carried out with complete independence and freedom from any kind of interference,” it said. “Our results show that Hurricane Maria was a very deadly storm, one that affected the entire island but hit the poor and the elderly the hardest. We are confident that the number – 2,975 – is the most accurate and unbiased estimate of excess mortality to date."</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-ad-keywords field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Ad keywords: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/ad-keywords/faculty” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>faculty</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-hide-by-line- field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Hide by line?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Colleen Flaherty 260991 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/09/19/professors-question-gift-saint-louis-u <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>Faculty members at Saint Louis University are raising questions about whether a recent $50 million gift to create a research institute gave inappropriate control over hiring to the donors, <em><a href=”https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/sinquefield-will-have-no-say-in-hiring-faculty-or-directing/article_d09763b8-4abc-5c2d-b472-c47a64ca271d.html” target=”_blank”>The St. Louis Post-Dispatch</a></em> reported. The concerns follow the news that the director of the center was selected jointly by the business school dean and the donors, without faculty input. While many donors specify that their gifts are for certain topics, they typically do not decide who gets hired to do the work. University officials said that the director's position was a staff position, not a faculty position, but professor noted that the person was given a faculty title. University officials have since pledged that the donors will not play a role in faculty hiring.</p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Editorial Tags: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/editorial-tags/fund-raising” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Fund-Raising</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-hide-by-line- field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Hide by line?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-article-smarttitle field-type-text field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Smart Title: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>Professors Question Gift to Saint Louis U</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:23:00 +0000 Scott Jaschik 260996 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2018/09/19/why-asking-students-their-preferred-pronoun-not-good-idea-opinion <div class=”field field-name-field-kicker field-type-text field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>For many faculty members, the semester begins with the now-familiar call to students to “introduce yourself with your name and pronoun.” Some of the more adventurous of us add a request for a personal fun fact, favorite flavor of ice cream or some other icebreaker. Our intention in asking about pronouns is to signal an inclusive, safe classroom where everyone is respected. In my experience, however, this practice is becoming more problematic than useful.</p> <p>For a time, the pronoun question seemed like a step forward. When I first started teaching, professors were provided with a list that included the legal names of each student that had registered for class. We were expected to stumble through it on the first day of class in order to begin learning names, to ensure that everyone who needed to be on the list was, indeed, registered, and to identify students who had dropped the class. Invariably, that process was followed by a number of corrections: “just call me Amy” or “I go by Taylor.”</p> <p>Eventually, registrars caught on, and class lists began to include nicknames or preferred names alongside the legal name of each student. At least at my institution, those names had secondary status and did not appear on Blackboard, email or other commonly used class resources. Now, thanks to work on behalf of transgender students by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Transgender Law Center and others, we know that student legal names need not even appear on class lists since those lists are neither official nor legal documents. Once our institutions modify their practices to reflect this, Amy and Taylor can relax. But what about pronouns?</p> <p>Every two or three years, I teach a nonmajors science class on how scientists study gender identity and sexuality, and how science influences, and is influenced by, society. Given the speed at which our understanding of gender identity is evolving, every time I offer this class, best practices have changed. We started with no awareness of a need for discussing pronouns and then moved, a few years later, to discussing “PGPs” — preferred gender pronouns. In the last few years, we realized that pronouns aren’t “preferred” but simply correct or incorrect for someone’s identity. My most recent experiences in the classroom, coupled with my experiences while conducting research within the transgender community, however, have convinced me that our current practice of asking that everyone state their personal pronoun is not a good idea. My position is perhaps best explained by sharing two experiences.</p> <p>In my gender class, as it has come to be known, I ask that students journal in response to readings, class discussions or a prompt on a controversial issue. Occasionally, those entries get personal. In a recent year, a student revealed in an entry that they thought they might be transgender. The next time I spoke with the student alone, with the best of intentions, I asked what pronoun they wanted me to use. Their eyes filled with tears as they answered, “I don’t know.” At about the same time, I asked someone at a conference what pronoun to use, and she burst into tears. She later explained that she had hoped that she “passed” and that my question made her feel like she did not.</p> <p>Those incidents taught me that questions about pronoun use can be painful to the very people to whom we are trying to signal support. So why do many institutions and their faculty members persist in the wholesale practice of requesting pronouns on the first day of class, especially with young adults who are in the process of figuring out who they are? The result of this practice is that students whose gender presentation may not match their gender identity are forced to lie or to out themselves in a new and possibly unsafe environment, while those who are unsure of their gender identity are made to feel uncomfortable and forced to choose a pronoun.</p> <p>There must be other ways to signal awareness and inclusion to our students. In recent years, I have started emailing my students before class starts, giving them the names of required texts and information about class, as well as asking them to communicate with me if they want to be sure that I know their correct name and/or pronoun on the first day that class meets. I also encourage them to let me know of any questions or concerns that they have about the class. That solves one issue, but it doesn’t help ensure that every student understands the importance of pronouns, privacy and not making assumptions about anyone’s identity. Thus, I also try to include a discussion of those issues on the first day of class and return to them throughout the semester as appropriate. My hope is to create an environment in which students can choose to share what they want about themselves in whatever way and at whatever time is best for them. So far, it seems to have worked.</p> <p>Some people will argue with my position, and there are certainly other ways to make sure that each student is addressed in the way in which they are most comfortable. For those who have jumped onboard the state-your-pronouns bandwagon, I would ask that you ask yourself for whom you are doing this. Is this the best way to support your students? Is it the best way to signal your allyship and desire to create a safe classroom?</p> <p>Ask your students for their ideas. Be prepared to make mistakes. When you come to a decision on what works for your class in your institutional context, share it with your colleagues — and then be prepared for whatever seems best to change in the semesters to come.</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-bio field-type-text-long field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><p><em>Rachel N. Levin is an associate professor of biology and neuroscience and dean of women at Pomona College.</em></p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-art-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Section: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/news/focus/diversity” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Diversity</a></div><div class=”field-item odd”><a href=”/news/focus/teaching-and-learning” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Teaching and Learning</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Editorial Tags: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/editorial-tags/gay-rightsissues” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Gay rights/issues</a></div><div class=”field-item odd”><a href=”/editorial-tags/teaching” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Teaching</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-image-source field-type-text field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Image Source: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>Istockphoto.com/georgl1969</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Rachel N. Levin 259546 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/stackability-beyond-bachelor%E2%80%99s <div class=”field field-name-field-blog-name field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix”><div class=”field-label”>Blog: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Confessions of a Community College Dean</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>I’ve had issues with reports from Third Way in the past, so I approached <a href=”https://www.thirdway.org/report/is-college-worth-it-going-beyond-averages” target=”_blank”>the latest one</a>, by Douglas Webber, warily. It’s about the lifetime economic returns of a bachelor’s degree. It’s relatively thoughtful, and it wins points from me for noting that the real issue with student debt isn’t the amount of debt that students carry, but whether they complete the degree or not. (That’s why the sizes of outstanding balances are _inversely_ correlated with repayment rates. Someone who dropped out after a semester or two is much less likely to repay loans than someone who graduated, even if the graduate borrowed more.) But a key omission jumped off the screen:</p> <p>“For data availability reasons, I only examine the returns to a Bachelor’s degree for individuals who did not attend graduate school.”</p> <p>Hmm. I don’t know about the availability of the data — I’ll defer to experts on that — but I’d bet good money that the average salary among those who went on to, say, medical school or business school would boost the overall numbers. Leaving them out distorts the picture.</p> <p>The omission points to a frustration I’ve had for years with data about earnings and degrees. Degrees can stack.</p> <p>In the community college world, we speak the language of “stackable credentials” all the time. It usually refers to certificates that can count towards an associate’s degree. For example, we include ServSafe certification in the Culinary degree. Fields like nursing (LPN to RN), IT, and Automotive Tech lend themselves to stacking. The primary benefit of stacking is that a student can get a foot-in-the-door credential — and therefore start earning money — on the way to the degree. For many students, as Webber’s Temple University colleague Sara Goldrick-Rab reminds us, that’s a necessity. Stackability can also offer working adults with field experience a head start, which saves time and money, and can be motivating.</p> <p>But I seldom hear the word used for the four-year degree and above, even though it applies at least as well there. An associate degree can lead to a bachelor’s, which can lead to a master’s, a doctorate, an M.D., a J.D., or all manner of other things. (Yes, I know, MD’s and even JD’s are technically doctorates, but I’m deferring to common usage here.) Excluding the folks who go on to higher — and often more lucrative — degrees skews the sample. </p> <p>This may sound like a quibble, but it isn’t. Nearly half of the bachelor’s degree grads in the US have significant numbers of community college credits in their transcripts. That represents a major economic contribution for which community colleges get little or no credit.</p> <p>An associate degree that feeds into a bachelor’s probably has a better return on investment than a traditional bachelor’s, since the upfront cost is lower. On the average, I’d bet that the average earnings of that group would also be higher than those who just stopped at the associate’s level. Leaving them out of the analysis is misleading.</p> <p>Webber’s piece argues for better data, and on that, I wholeheartedly agree. The politics of getting that data are daunting, but the usefulness of it (more accurately, because the usefulness of it) is clear. We can’t give credit where credit is due if we forget that degrees can stack.</p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-show-on-jobs-site field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Show on Jobs site: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-advice-newsletter-publicat field-type-datetime field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Advice Newsletter publication dates: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><span class=”date-display-single” property=”dc:date” datatype=”xsd:dateTime” content=”2018-09-18T00:00:00-04:00″>Tuesday, September 18, 2018</span></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter-publi field-type-datetime field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Diversity Newsletter publication date: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><span class=”date-display-single” property=”dc:date” datatype=”xsd:dateTime” content=”2018-09-18T00:00:00-04:00″>Tuesday, September 18, 2018</span></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div> Wed, 19 Sep 2018 00:51:27 +0000 Matt Reed 260976 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/18/texas-tech-opens-branch-campus-costa-rica <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>Compared to countries in Asia and the Gulf that host the majority of American universities' overseas branch campuses, Costa Rica has some advantages. It's closer to home, in the same time zone as Texas for about half the year (Costa Rica doesn't observe Daylight Saving Time). It's a popular destination for American students studying abroad. It's a stable democracy. And, unlike China, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — all places with significant numbers of American branch campuses — it has a democratic government.</p> <p><a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/229115/texas-tech-university” target=”_blank”>Texas Tech University</a> is opening a new branch campus in Costa Rica this fall. The project is a collaboration with a for-profit company that paid to develop the campus and is bearing the full capital and operational costs (and risks) of running it. The company, EDULINK — a subsidiary of the Promerica Group, a multinational conglomerate of companies involved in banking, hotels and real estate — collects tuition and pays Texas Tech for the academic and student services it provides according to an agreed-upon budget.</p> <p>Under the terms of the agreement, signed in 2016, Texas Tech has "full authority" over all academic and student services and will "make final determinations relating to all academic and research programs, educational requirements, and pedagogical content … including student body and faculty size, curriculum design and development, faculty rights, selection and appointment, student admissions, student affairs, and the conferring of degrees."</p> <p>EDULINK built the campus in the capital city of San José at its expense and is responsible for operating the campus and providing specific administrative and management services. EDULINK will also recruit students, although the contract notes that Texas Tech has "sole authority" over all admission decisions and policies.</p> <p>"What made this acceptable to our board was the financial commitment by Promerica," said Lawrence Schovanec, Texas Tech's president. "They wanted us to be sure that tuition dollars provided by students at Texas Tech would not be subsidizing this endeavor. Promerica and our group down there called EDULINK has made an extraordinary commitment: they cover all the costs, they built the facilities, but we have full academic control. We have to demonstrate that to our accreditor."</p> <p>The university had a target of enrolling 200 students in the first year, but just 40 students are enrolled for the fall. The traditional academic year in Costa Rica starts in the winter/spring, so Texas Tech's is an off-cycle start.</p> <p>Tuition is $600 per credit hour, which would amount to $18,000 for a 30-credit-hour academic year. That's not a whole lot less than the $23,496 undergraduate out-of-state tuition rate for Texas Tech's main campus in Lubbock, but the cost of living in Costa Rica is lower. And students from the San José area can study at a U.S. institution while staying at home.</p> <p>"It's a new university," Schovanec said about the lower-than-expected enrollment. "The cost is more than some of the privates, and for the public institutions in Costa Rica, college is free. That's undoubtedly an issue; yet the cost is much, much less than sending a student to the United States. I think it's going to take some time to market the programs. I think it's going to be very important that we provide an experience that students feel is an equal of what they would have received in the United States."</p> <p>"The concept has been well received in the country," Schovanec continued. "When we had the inauguration of the campus last spring, the vice president of Costa Rica came and spoke and expressed great enthusiasm for our campus. Members of the cabinet were there; members of industry were there. I'm very pleased by the reception we've received and I think it's just going to take some time to develop our recruitment."</p> <p>The new campus is part of what John Keith, the executive president of Banco Promerica, described as "one of the jewels" of a large mixed-use development project known as <a href=”http://www.avenidaescazu.com/” target=”_blank”>Avenida Escazú</a>. The development includes offices for multinational companies, residential housing, parking, retail stores, restaurants and entertainment venues.</p> <p>"Having a U.S. university with all these multinationals investing in Costa Rica will generate a lot of real estate opportunities," Keith said. "That's the economic motivation on our side."</p> <p>Keith said that in developing the model, Promerica pursued what he likened to the Marriott hotel chain's practice of entering into management contracts with local property owners. "We took the idea of the management contracts of the hotels, and we used those same principles to turn it into an education agreement with TTU. So the same way Marriott has grown all over the world with their concept of a management agreement and the estate owned by local people, U.S. universities can do the same. In every city that there is a Marriott, there can be a U.S. university."</p> <p>The agreement between Texas Tech and Promerica envisions that, at full capacity, the Costa Rica campus will enroll 1,300 students, including visiting study abroad students from the Lubbock campus. A six-member steering committee made up of half Texas Tech appointees and half EDULINK appointees sets the annual budget for the campus and provides strategic oversight. In the event of a deadlock, the agreement between Texas Tech and EDULINK stipulates that Texas Tech's president has final determination over any matters related to "academic affairs, student support services, minimum types and amounts of insurance coverage, or any material deviation from the general principles of TTU-CR as outlined in this agreement," while the CEO of EDULINK would have final say in all other matters.</p> <p>The campus is starting with five undergraduate degree programs in computer science, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, mathematics and restaurant, hotel and institutional management. Instruction is in English and faculty at the campus are a mix of Texas Tech faculty visiting from the home campus in Lubbock and locally hired adjunct professors.</p> <p>The campus is seeking approval from Costa Rica's National Council of Private University Higher Education (known by the Spanish acronym CONESUP), which would allow its degrees to be recognized for certain government jobs. Texas Tech's provost, Michael Galyean, said CONESUP approval is an “ongoing process” and that Texas Tech has a letter from the council "acknowledging our presence in Costa Rica and our ability to grant U.S. degrees."</p> <p>Texas Tech is one of a handful of American universities with campuses in Latin America. Other public universities with campuses in the region are <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/106458/arkansas-state-university” target=”_blank”>Arkansas State University</a>, which has <a href=”https://www.astate.edu/news/a-state-campus-quer-taro-welcomes-first-students-classes-begin-monda” target=”_blank”>a campus in Mexico that opened last year</a>, and <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/134097/florida-state-university” target=”_blank”>Florida State University</a>, which has <a href=”https://panama.fsu.edu/about-us” target=”_blank”>a long-standing campus in Panama</a>.</p> <p>Latin America, unlike parts of Asia and the Gulf, has not traditionally been a hot spot for international branch campus development. Indeed, <a href=”http://cbert.org/?page_id=34″ target=”_blank”>a database</a> maintained by the Cross-Border Education Research Team at the State University of New York at Albany lists just one international branch campus in Costa Rica: Texas Tech's.</p> <p>Jason Lane, the director of the cross-border research team and interim dean of Albany's School of Education, said the relatively small numbers of international branch campuses in Latin America might be due partly to language issues and to the low levels of internationalization of many universities in that part of the world. And, until recently, institutions in the U.S. weren't as interested in reaching out.</p> <p>"For whatever reason, Latin America has not historically been a major player for U.S. institutions in internationalization efforts relative to Europe or Asia or the Middle East even," Lane said. "That is beginning to change. Particularly Southern states see more connection between their changing populations and Latin America, and it increasingly makes sense to look at moving south of the border."</p> <p>Schovanec, Texas Tech's president, said that about half the students starting at the Costa Rica campus this fall come from outside the country, from elsewhere in Central and South America.</p> <p>"We truly have a commitment to expanding our access in the southern half of the Western Hemisphere, and we were fortunate to enter into this partnership in Costa Rica that allows us to do just that," he said. "We really do want to be serving that part of the world."</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-art-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>Global</div><div class=”field-item odd”>International Branch Campuses</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Editorial Tags: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” rel=”dc:subject”><a href=”/editorial-tags/international-higher-education” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>International higher education</a></div><div class=”field-item odd” rel=”dc:subject”><a href=”/editorial-tags/us-campuses-abroad” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>U.S. Campuses Abroad</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-image-source field-type-text field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Image Source: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>Courtesy of Texas Tech University</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-image-caption field-type-text field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Image Caption: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>The new Texas Tech campus in Costa Rica</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter-order field-type-number-integer field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Newsletter Order: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>0</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-magazine-treatment field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Magazine treatment: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div> Tue, 18 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Elizabeth Redden 259086 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/18/author-discusses-new-book-how-latino-students-shape-identity <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>For two years, Daisy Verduzco Reyes, an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut, sat quietly in the background during Latino student organization meetings at three different colleges. She listened to determine how students thought and talked about what it meant to be Latino and paid attention to what was discussed, what kinds of events were planned and whether or not the group was political.</p> <p>Beyond that, she also listened to see how the students deliberated with each other, recruited new members to their organizations and fostered (or didn't foster) a sense of community. Reyes presents her findings in her new book, <a href=”https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/learning-to-be-latino/9780813596501″ target=”_blank”><em>Learning to Be Latino: How Colleges Shape Identity Politics</em></a> (Rutgers University Press), which walks the reader through Latino student experiences at the three unnamed institutions.</p> <p>Via email, Reyes answered some questions about her book.</p> <p><strong>Q: Your book examines how students at three different types of institutions — a liberal arts college, a research university and a regional public university — determine what it means to be Latino. What are the biggest differences you found among students at each type of each institution?</strong></p> <p><strong>A:</strong> I found that each of these institutions has a distinct racial climate, which is created through several campus features like student-faculty ratio, student body demographics, residential patterns and diversity programming, among other factors. And these racial climates in turn shaped how Latino students experienced their institution. These settings fostered different types of interactions among Latino peers, non-Latino students, faculty and administrators.</p> <p>For example, the prestige of the liberal arts college coupled with the affluence of the student body fostered more experiences with racial microaggressions and marginalization among Latino students when compared to Latino students at the research university and the regional public university. Experiences of racial marginalization led the students to hold broad definitions of what it means to be Latino, emphasizing heterogeneity and solidarity.</p> <p>In contrast, the research university studied gave one of the Latino student groups more resources (mainly an office space in the multicultural center), which fostered some competition between this group and the other Latino student organizations. At this campus, students drew boundaries around Latino identities, at times questioning each other's ethnic authenticity. When students claimed to be Latino on this campus, they felt compelled to explain and defend what that meant. For example, students answered questions about their identities with responses like "I'm Latina, although I don't know all the foods or music."</p> <p>The regional public university is a Hispanic-serving institution with close to half the student body being of Latino origins (primarily Mexican, Salvadoran and Guatemalan). However, these students rejected panethnic labels, such as "Latino" and "Hispanic." They preferred national origin terms (for example, "Mexican" and "Salvadoran"), and didn't see the need to use panethnic labels. Latinos are not underrepresented at this institution and do not experience racial microaggressions on campus, hence there is less need to identify panethnically in this type of setting.</p> <p>In sum, the racial climates shaped how Latino students came to understand the meaning of identity labels and their utility.</p> <p><strong>Q: How did you observe political and nonpolitical Latino student organizations consider and employ their identities differently?</strong></p> <p><strong>A:</strong> I only observed differences in this at the research university, where there were conflicts and tensions between the political and the nonpolitical student organizations. This was the only campus where students felt the need to really explain how and why they were Latino/Chicano. Some of the politically oriented students used the label "Chicano" to signal a political position, however, several of the politically oriented students found this label problematic. They felt it signaled a "radical" and "militant" identity and wanted to distance themselves from this term despite their political commitments. The students in the nonpolitical group on this campus felt the need to state their desire to avoid politics and to distinguish themselves from the politically oriented group. However, these nonpolitical students expressed that, despite this, they too were "Latino."</p> <p><strong>Q: On what aspects of identity were students most likely to agree? When were they most likely to disagree?</strong></p> <p><strong>A:</strong> The students seem to share concerns about the educational advancement of Latinos broadly, including their own. They also shared concerns about creating a just immigration policy.</p> <p>However, I did find variation across campuses in how much heterogeneity and diversity the students assume there is amongst Latinos and whether that diversity poses a challenge to solidarity. At the liberal arts college, students emphasized heterogeneity among Latinos yet punctuated the possibility of solidarity. At times students at the research university saw diversity as a threat to Latino unity within organizations. And at the regional public university, students painted more monolithic portrayals of Latinos.</p> <p><strong>Q: Of the three types of universities, which did you find creates a more welcoming environment for Latino students?</strong></p> <p><strong>A:</strong> I think this depends on what you mean by welcoming. I'd say that the regional public university is welcoming in the sense that there is little social expectation from students; in this commuter campus, students can be anonymous beyond their time in class. Students here do not face racial marginalization or social sanctions because they spend little time on campus.</p> <p>The liberal arts college has created several programs to foster integration among students and to integrate underrepresented groups. The campus size allows these programs to work, however, this is also where you see the most racialization given the affluence on campus.</p> <p><strong>Q: Who is one policy or decision maker you hope reads your book, and what do you hope they do as a result?</strong></p> <p><strong>A:</strong> Administrators with access to resources on campus and the power to build institutions. I'd like campuses to broaden, and redistribute, the responsibility of creating welcoming environments from underrepresented students themselves to include the entire student body. I'd like to see students, faculty and administrators from majority groups take on these tasks.</p> <p>For example, at the liberal arts college, I think a first-year seminar on educational inequality and microaggressions should be a requirement in all students' curricula. At the research university and the regional public university, I think a first-year seminar required of all students should teach about the history of student activism on that campus. This way, students will understand why certain institutions and programs were created on their campus.</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-art-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>New Books About Higher Education</div><div class=”field-item odd”>Diversity</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Editorial Tags: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” rel=”dc:subject”><a href=”/editorial-tags/books” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Books</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter-order field-type-number-integer field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Newsletter Order: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>5</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter-publi field-type-datetime field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Diversity Newsletter publication date: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><span class=”date-display-single” property=”dc:date” datatype=”xsd:dateTime” content=”2018-09-18T00:00:00-04:00″>Tuesday, September 18, 2018</span></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-email-teaser-news field-type-text field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Email Teaser: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>‘Learning to Be Latino’</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-magazine-treatment field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Magazine treatment: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div> Tue, 18 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Emma Whitford 259976 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/18/new-presidents-or-provosts-bay-state-central-michigan-central-ohio-marian-pitt <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><ul> <li><a href=”http://www.cotc.edu/News/Pages/John-Berry,-Ph.D.,-to-Become-Next-COTC-President.aspx” target=”_blank”>John Berry</a>, vice president of student affairs and college advancement at BridgeValley Community and Technical College, in West Virginia, has been selected as president of Central Ohio Technical College.</li> <li><a href=”https://www.smccme.edu/about/presidents-office/” target=”_blank”>Joseph L. Cassidy</a>, president of Washington County Community College, in Maine, has been appointed president of Southern Maine Community College.</li> <li><a href=”http://www.sva.edu/features/sva-names-new-provost-and-four-new-department-chairs-for-2018-2019-academic-year” target=”_blank”>Christopher J. Cyphers</a>, former president of the New York School of Interior Design, has been named provost of the School of Visual Arts, also in New York.</li> <li><a href=”https://www.cmich.edu/news/article/Pages/CMU-appoints-Davies-15th-president.aspx” target=”_blank”>Robert O. Davies</a>, president of Murray State University, in Kentucky, has been named president of <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/169248/central-michigan-university” target=”_blank”>Central Michigan University</a>.</li> <li><a href=”https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ambow-education-announces-appointment-of-new-administrators-at-bay-state-college-300693811.html” target=”_blank”>Mark DeFusco</a>, senior research associate at the Rossier School of Education's Pullias Center for Higher Education at the University of Southern California, has been appointed president/chief executive officer at Bay State College, in Massachusetts.</li> <li><a href=”https://news.virginia.edu/content/president-james-e-ryan-announces-new-senior-leadership-appointments” target=”_blank”>M. Elizabeth Magill</a>, dean and Richard E. Lang Professor of Law at <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/243744/stanford-university” target=”_blank”>Stanford University</a> Law School, in California, has been chosen as executive vice president and provost at the <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/234076/university-virginia” target=”_blank”>University of Virginia</a>.</li> <li><a href=”https://www.utsystem.edu/news/2018/08/27/board-regents-names-milliken-chancellor-ut-system” target=”_blank”>James B. Milliken</a>, chancellor of the City University of New York System, has been named chancellor of the University of Texas System.</li> <li><a href=”https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/news-center/news/state-board-community-colleges-approves-new-president-pitt-community-college” target=”_blank”>Lawrence Rouse</a>, president of James Sprunt Community College, in North Carolina, has been selected as president of Pitt Community College, also in North Carolina.</li> <li><a href=”https://www.marian.edu/newsroom/newsitem/2018/08/09/marian-university-hires-alan-silva-to-serve-as-executive-vice-president-and-provost” target=”_blank”>Alan J. Silva</a>, executive vice president and provost at St. Catherine University, in Minnesota, has been appointed executive vice president and provost at <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/college/151786/marian-university-indiana” target=”_blank”>Marian University</a>, in Indiana.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Editorial Tags: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” rel=”dc:subject”><a href=”/editorial-tags/college-administration” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>College administration</a></div><div class=”field-item odd” rel=”dc:subject”><a href=”/editorial-tags/new-presidents” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>New presidents</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter-order field-type-number-integer field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Newsletter Order: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>0</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-magazine-treatment field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Magazine treatment: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-school field-type-node-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>College: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/college/169248/central-michigan-university”>Central Michigan University</a></div><div class=”field-item odd”><a href=”/college/151786/marian-university-indiana”>Marian University of Indiana</a></div><div class=”field-item even”><a href=”/college/243744/stanford-university”>Stanford University</a></div><div class=”field-item odd”><a href=”/college/234076/university-virginia”>University of Virginia</a></div></div></div> Tue, 18 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Doug Lederman 260301 at https://www.insidehighered.com https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/18/summer-probations-raise-question-when-accreditor-should-disclose-colleges-status <div class=”field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” property=”content:encoded”><p>On Aug. 23, the regional accreditor for New England announced that Lincoln College of New England had been placed on probation because it did not meet seven standards.</p> <p>The college in Southington, Conn., had decided to stop enrolling new students, its interim president said in <a href=”https://cihe.neasc.org/sites/cihe.neasc.org/files/downloads/New_on_the_Website/LCNE_Press_Release_August-2018.pdf” target=”_blank”>the same statement</a>. It will close Dec. 31.</p> <p>Lincoln had told faculty members and students on Aug. 20 that it had been placed on probation and would be closing. And an Aug. 11 <em>Boston Globe </em><a href=”https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/08/11/new-england-smallest-colleges-are-struggling/v60cnP1oEhBX1MEOMb9oSP/story.html” target=”_blank”>article</a> mentioned the for-profit college as one of three New England institutions that had presented information to their accreditor in June to argue why they should not be placed on probation.</p> <p>But investors who were paying close attention knew much earlier that Lincoln had been flagged for possible probation.</p> <p>Lincoln College of New England is a part of the publicly traded Lincoln Educational Services Corp. Its parent company disclosed <a href=”https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1286613/000114036118024002/form10q.htm” target=”_blank”>in a May 15 filing</a> with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that Lincoln College of New England had been told the previous day to show cause why it should not be placed on probation.</p> <p>That filing spelled out the process for the college going forward. It would have a chance to respond with evidence showing it was in compliance with standards of accreditation by June 13. Then it would have the opportunity to present its response in person at a June 28 commission meeting.</p> <p>The responses proved unsuccessful. The accreditor’s commission voted at the June 28 meeting to place Lincoln on probation for not meeting standards on planning and evaluation; organization and governance; academic programming; students; teaching, learning and scholarship; institutional resources; and educational effectiveness.</p> <p>Lincoln’s parent company disclosed that it had been placed on probation <a href=”https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1286613/000114036118036118/form10q.htm” target=”_blank”>in another public filing for investors</a> dated Aug. 10. In other words, the college told investors about its probation case twice before it ever told students, although even they learned about the accrediting body's decision nearly six weeks after it was made. It told shareholders about the accreditor’s action before the accreditor publicly posted about it.</p> <p>“Lincoln met all the requirements to notify investors and students,” a spokesman for the college said.</p> <p>The for-profit college’s case is especially noteworthy because it is closing and because it is part of a publicly traded company that’s required to tell shareholders about material events that could affect its stock price. It is not, however, unique — and this is not an issue only among for-profit institutions. It is one for nonprofits as well.</p> <p>Weeks often pass between the day an accreditor places a college on probation and the day that probation is made public. In several cases this summer, accreditors and the institutions they approve only announced probationary actions days before key dates for enrolling students.</p> <p>Disclosure practices are not standard across the board — both what is revealed, and when. Timing varies from case to case and between accreditors. Some accreditors’ policies and practices result in disclosure of a probation decision almost immediately. Others have effectively allowed the better part of two months to pass between vote and public notification.</p> <p>That’s because some accreditors allow colleges and universities to appeal the vote placing them on probation on procedural grounds — and they don't share news of that probation until the appeal is off the table. The setup prevents higher ed institutions from being harmed by news breaking about a probation that will later be struck from the record in the rare case of a probation being overturned.</p> <p>But the rules surrounding appeals and disclosure are far from uniform. Not all accreditors allow for an appeal. Not all that do call an appeal an appeal.</p> <p>The hodgepodge of terms and policies makes it difficult to compare accreditors’ actions in different regions. It also arguably prevents students and parents — the parties investing their time and money into colleges and universities — from having all of the information they might want when making decisions.</p> <p>“The actions of accreditors can be complicated to interpret, but at the same time, the information should not be hidden: instead, it should be available as soon as possible so that a counselor, other regulator, or knowledgeable consumer is not kept in the dark,” Bob Shireman, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation and former Obama administration official, said in an email.</p> <p>Might a student deciding whether to enroll in a particular college or university this summer like to have known as soon as possible that it was being placed on probation?</p> <p>“I see this all the time, these scenarios where there is a ton of wiggle room,” said Antoinette Flores, associate director for postsecondary education at the left-leaning think tank the Center for American Progress, who has <a href=”https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-postsecondary/news/2017/05/19/432709/reply-email-error-reveals-problems-college-transparency/” target=”_blank”>written critically</a> about accreditors’ practices <a href=”https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-postsecondary/reports/2016/06/21/139529/watching-the-watchdogs/” target=”_blank”>in the past</a>. “But the instances you’re describing to me seem like going above and beyond to protect the institution at the expense of the students. I think if there’s a problem, students should know, especially if they’re deciding to enroll in a college.”</p> <p><strong>Ask for Appeals First, Disclose Probation Later</strong></p> <p>This summer, the timelines for students who wanted to make informed decisions about attending some institutions would have been very, very tight. The accreditor for New England voted to place two private nonprofit colleges on probation at the same time it did Lincoln. Both the College of St. Joseph, in Rutland, Vt., and Newbury College, in Brookline, Mass., were placed on probation at the accreditor’s June 28 meeting for not meeting its standard on institutional resources. That could signal to students that they need to pay closer attention to the institutions' financial viability.</p> <p>St. Joseph notified students, faculty and staff Aug. 13, and the accreditor posted <a href=”https://cihe.neasc.org/sites/cihe.neasc.org/files/downloads/New_on_the_Website/CSJ_JOINT_PRESS_RELEASE_August-2018.pdf” target=”_blank”>a statement</a> on the action two days later. Tuition <a href=”https://www.csj.edu/academics/academic-calendar/” target=”_blank”>was due</a> for full-time students on Aug. 13.</p> <p>That timing was a coincidence, a college spokeswoman said. The college and its president tried to make an announcement as quickly as it could, she said.</p> <p>“President Scott worked with the president of NEASC to release the announcement as soon as possible after receiving notification,” she wrote in an email, using the acronym for the New England accreditor's former name. “It took a few days to draft the materials, and have NEASC review and approve. NEASC directed the timing of the announcement.”</p> <p>In St. Joseph's case, students and prospective students who were paying attention to the news had warning about the college's financial situation, no matter what the accreditor announced. The college publicly weighed closing this spring amid enrollment shortfalls, budget deficits and a drawn-down endowment. Its Board of Trustees <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/05/10/st-joseph-vermont-will-stay-open” target=”_blank”>voted to remain open</a> in May.</p> <p>Newbury College, meanwhile, emailed students to tell them about its probation Aug. 9, three days after telling the accreditor if would not appeal its probation. The college sent letters to registered and deposited students that were postmarked no later than Aug. 13. The accreditor posted <a href=”https://cihe.neasc.org/sites/cihe.neasc.org/files/downloads/New_on_the_Website/NewburyCollege_JOINT_PRESS_RELEASE_August-2018.pdf” target=”_blank”>the probation announcement</a> to its website Aug. 20.</p> <p>Newbury had a fall deposit deadline of May 1 but operates under rolling admission with deposit deadlines every two weeks after that. One of those deadlines was Aug. 7, two days before Newbury announced its probation internally.</p> <p>A spokesman said in an email that Newbury’s “deposit date becomes less important as August rolls on as students will need to meet their financial obligation for the fall semester.” Students could enroll for classes up until Sept. 11 this year. The spokesman declined to say when in the enrollment cycle most of the college’s students tend to enroll.</p> <p>Newbury declined to release the accreditor's report about the college's probation. The spokesman provided a statement from Newbury’s president, Joseph Chillo, saying university leaders were making decisions to address the accreditor’s concerns. Those decisions include exploring real estate transactions to improve the college’s finances and strategic partnerships with other institutions. Chillo’s statement also pointed to a large freshman class and high retention rates as evidence of the college’s “level of success,” saying they speak volumes about Newbury’s student experience.</p> <p>“A number of private colleges, both locally and nationally, are finding it necessary to explore new financial and collaboration models in today’s marketplace because of financial challenges,” Chillo’s statement said. “Newbury’s concern is a financial one, not one of academics or student experience. During the probation period, the college will work closely with NEASC and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education to ensure a high-quality experience for our students.”</p> <p>After Newbury College’s probation was announced, one commenter on Facebook said she considered enrolling there after the closure of another small private college in Massachusetts, Mount Ida College. Instead, she opted for the Wentworth Institute of Technology.</p> <p>“Newbury College is on probation,” <a href=”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjenna.rosado.35%2Fposts%2F735448336796254&width=500″ target=”_blank”>she wrote</a>. “I thought of possibly going there after Mount Ida closed, as they were accepting all Mount Ida interior design students. I made the choice to go to WIT but I’m imagining where I would be right now if I decided to go to Newbury …”</p> <p>The timing of this summer’s probation announcements at the New England accreditor was stretched out because of summer vacation schedules and the process of issuing joint press releases, said Barbara Brittingham, president of the New England Commission of Higher Education.</p> <p>Further, it is unusual for the accreditor to vote on probation in June, Brittingham said. The commission could have waited until the fall to vote but decided instead to act as soon as possible. The presidents at each institution seemed to take seriously the need to tell students about the probations.</p> <p>“I think they felt a responsibility to let students know as soon as they could,” Brittingham said. “Was it later than parents or students would have hoped? I’m sure that’s true in some cases. But they really worked hard.”</p> <p>The accreditor’s <a href=”https://cihe.neasc.org/sites/cihe.neasc.org/files/downloads/POLICIES/Pp46_Status_of-Probation.pdf” target=”_blank”>policy on the status of probation</a> says that it makes probation public when the decision is final — after the institution being placed on probation does not appeal, or when the appeal process is completed and the decision is upheld. But the accreditor can make information about the probation public earlier “at its discretion.”</p> <p>A college is placed on probation when its accreditor finds it fails to meet standards for accreditation. Probation signals serious concern from the accreditor. Colleges can be placed on probation for up to two years as they work to correct problems. If they cannot fix the issues in time, they can lose their accreditation — and access to federal student funding under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. Although it is rare for a college or university to forfeit Title IV funding, losing access is a likely death knell for most institutions.</p> <p>Colleges, accreditors and regulators are under heightened scrutiny in the New England region in the wake of some institutions’ high-profile struggles. <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/07/16/massachusetts-debates-new-regulatory-requirements-private-colleges-wake-mount-idas” target=”_blank”>Discussions</a> are already under way in Massachusetts about the extent to which regulators, accreditors and administrators should disclose a college’s problems.</p> <p>After Mount Ida unexpectedly closed this spring, its board chair, Carmin Reiss, <a href=”https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/2967″ target=”_blank”>testified</a> before a Massachusetts Senate Committee that the college’s accreditation reports made its financial challenges very clear. Accreditation documents and other audited financial reports were posted on the college’s website and were publicly available, although Mount Ida did not draw “specific attention” to them, Reiss said.</p> <p>“I certainly reject the notion that we were deceptive,” Reiss said. “We made all the public disclosures that we needed to make, and we were honest with our community about our need to have a strategic plan and to build our financial health.”</p> <p>Students testifying at the same hearing <a href=”https://www.gazettenet.com/Senate-oversight-committee-seeks-detail-on-Mount-Ida-acquisition-17523011″ target=”_blank”>said they felt</a> “betrayed, lost and heartbroken” and that “there are hundreds of students with thousands of dollars in school debt who don’t have a home for their academic future in the fall.”</p> <p>Mount Ida went before the New England accreditor in April 2018 as part of its regular comprehensive evaluation. But it was never formally placed on probation. At meetings this week, the accreditor plans to evaluate ways it can strengthen its review of financially fragile institutions, according to Brittingham. It will also look at possible improvements to public disclosure.</p> <p>The issue of when to notify students could easily come up in other regions. The accreditor for the West Coast, the WASC Senior College and University Commission, has a similar process to NECHE’s appeals process. WASC Senior College and University Commission-accredited institutions that are placed on probation can request a review of the action.</p> <p>Under timelines spelled out in the accreditor’s <a href=”https://www.wscuc.org/book/export/html/924″ target=”_blank”>handbook</a>, the WASC commission must notify an institution within “approximately 14 calendar days” of a decision on probation or other sanction. Then the institution has 28 calendar days to decide whether to ask for a review. After a final decision is reached — after an institution decides not to request a review, or after that review is complete — the accreditor must notify several parties, including the public, within 30 days. That means the rules allow for as many as 72 days between an accreditor's vote and a public disclosure, if a college chooses not to pursue an appeal process that would add even more time.</p> <p>The WASC commission’s process played out this summer after it voted to place the Master’s University and Seminary of Santa Clara, Calif., on probation at its accreditation meeting June 29. The accreditor <a href=”/sites/default/server_files/media/CAL_180718_TMUS_AV%20%286%29.pdf” target=”_blank”>flagged</a> issues with board independence, personnel and management practices, operational integrity, and leadership. They included concerns that many members of the institution’s governing board were employed by the institution or another organization for which the president had authority; “a climate of fear, intimidation, bullying, and uncertainty”; an audit finding institutional aid awards exceeding typical amounts being awarded to friends and relatives; and some leaders lacking higher education experience and knowledge.</p> <p>The accreditor sent a letter to the university’s president dated July 18 about the action. The university announced the probation on Aug. 16 with an email and posting on its website. It was four days before new students <a href=”https://www.masters.edu/academic-calendar.html” target=”_blank”>were scheduled</a> to check in.</p> <p>A statement from the institution’s Board of Directors said the accreditor’s primary concerns were not related to academic quality.</p> <p>“WSCUC recognized and commended the excellence of the academic programs of the university and the seminary,” <a href=”https://www.masters.edu/uploads/TMUS_WASC_PublicStatement.pdf” target=”_blank”>it said</a>. “Rather, the areas of noncompliance primarily relate to issues of corporate governance and operational matters, which the TMUS Board of Directors is proactively addressing. During the probationary period, TMUS remains accredited and all forms of state and federal financial aid remain available to students.”</p> <p>Leaders at the Master’s University and Seminary took the entire 28 days allowed under the accreditor’s guidelines to decide whether it would appeal. They also used the time to prepare for a follow-up meeting with the accreditor and to take steps toward addressing the accreditors’ concerns, they said. Students normally pay deposits well in advance of the dates in question, and classes started on Aug. 27, so the timing of announcements should not have trapped students into attending, they added.</p> <p>“During that 28 days, we were already working toward compliance with what WASC was asking of us,” said Kevin Hill, vice president of administration. “It’s one thing to make an announcement that something is going on. We thought it much more beneficial to make an announcement along with steps that we’re already taking to address the issue. We thought that would be far more productive and welcome to our constituencies — to see that we had already jumped on this and were addressing WASC’s concerns.”</p> <p><strong>Whom Does Accreditation Serve?</strong></p> <p>The case and others like it highlight a fundamental tension at the heart of the accreditation process: Whom, exactly, is it intended to serve?</p> <p>Colleges and accreditors will say a process allowing time between probation and public announcement is more collaborative between institution and accreditor — it helps institutions improve their practices and encourages those with problems to correct themselves. That, in turn, can help students.</p> <p>“I fully support the way we do accreditation,” said John Stead, provost at the Master’s University. “They, in reality, have been a big help to us. Prior to this we had a 10-year accreditation, so we had not been visited for 10 years. This was really kind of a wake-up call for us in some areas. In the long run, it will really help us do a better job for our students.”</p> <p>But in some cases, helping students might mean telling them when an institution is having problems.</p> <p>“The process for notifying an institution and the public of a sanction reflects a balance between ensuring appropriate transparency for students and others while allowing for a fair appeal process for the institution,” said Jamienne S. Studley, president at the WASC Senior College and University Commission. “We regularly review our policies to assess whether we have struck a reasonable balance.”</p> <p>What exactly constitutes a reasonable balance can change with time. A lengthy disclosure process that once seemed to protect students from undue worry might seem overly secretive and parental if students have started acting like consumers who want to be able to make informed decisions about where they’re spending their tuition dollars. It could also come to seem naïve if bad actors begin to find ways to exploit the system.</p> <p>“How we balance the information to the public and due process here is the challenging thing,” said Judith Eaton, president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. “Would I turn around and change that overnight? No. I would not, because of the potential harm that could be done. I don’t know that a four- to six-week period of not knowing is going to harm the student. I really don’t. It’s a question I’m asking.”</p> <p>Probation is not a status signifying an institution is going to close down immediately, Eaton pointed out. It is serious, but it does not mean a curriculum is nonfunctional or a college can’t provide support services.</p> <p>“It is something the accreditor wants the institution to improve, and they are saying, ‘Look, you need to pay some particular attention to this,’” she said. “It’s more than saying, ‘OK, just work on this over the next few years.’ It’s saying, ‘Work on this now and fix this.’”</p> <p>Other accreditors have tilted their processes toward faster public disclosure, though.</p> <p>The Middle States Commission on Higher Education typically has a public announcement up about a week after a probation decision, said Brian Kirschner, director of communications and public relations. If the commission has a meeting ending on a Thursday, it will have processed the action, reported it to the Department of Education, reported it to the institution and then posted about it online by the next Wednesday or Thursday. Middle States <a href=”https://msche.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#46000000ZDJj/a/46000000PHqa/LHWXCPdQWyVv48OwuJ5VSXLpsYbve9sabIqZhCI2Cu0″ target=”_blank”>categorizes probation</a> as a "non-compliance action," and <a href=”https://msche.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#46000000ZDJj/a/46000000PHqf/ZbBQXrxryPtzn7REdcknz1xLVuzYaY96MkciIY5RiG4″ target=”_blank”>its policies state</a> noncompliance actions are not appealable.</p> <p>“For us, the institutions want to hear about it,” Kirschner said. “And of course the public, if you include the students and whatnot, we want to put the information out there for their purposes.”</p> <p>The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges <a href=”http://sacscoc.org/pdf/081705/SanctionPolicy.pdf” target=”_blank”>doesn’t allow colleges and universities to appeal probation decisions</a>. <a href=”https://www.hlcommission.org/Policies/probation.html” target=”_blank”>Neither does</a> the Higher Learning Commission, the largest of the accreditors, which is responsible for institutions from West Virginia to Arizona.</p> <p>“Only being dropped from membership is appealable,” said Belle S. Wheelan, SACSCOC president. “Our policy says that we notify the institution’s president before we announce it to the public. Usually, the board will vote in the morning, we will call the president right away, and as soon as the staff notifies me that the president is aware, then we let the press know.”</p> <p>An argument can be made that accreditors give colleges and universities time to respond to concerns even if they post notice about probations without waiting for an appeal. The commission vote isn't the first time an institution learns it might be on probation. Colleges and universities have a chance to present information before the vote takes place.</p> <p>“We often go through months of internal due process — discovery and evaluation — that feed into the Board of Trustees considering a sanction,” said Barbara Gellman-Danley, president of the Higher Learning Commission, in a statement. “After that decision is made, our focus shifts outward. Within two weeks, we inform the institution and then post a public disclosure notice that clearly explains the issues, the HLC action, and its impact on students.”</p> <p>Even the shorter timelines wouldn’t necessarily stop students from learning about a probation shortly before they’re scheduled to head to campus.</p> <p>The Higher Learning Commission <a href=”https://www.hlcommission.org/download/_BoardActionLetters/Wilberforce%20University%20Action%20Letter%207.9.18.pdf” target=”_blank”>decided</a> at its June 28 meeting to place Wilberforce University in Ohio on probation over <a href=”https://www.hlcommission.org/download/_PublicDisclosureNotices/PDN%20Wilberforce%20University%20on%20Probation%206-2018.pdf” target=”_blank”>concerns</a> about teaching and learning, and resources, planning and institutional effectiveness. Wilberforce received an email from the accreditor about the change on July 10. It held a universitywide meeting about the move July 17, just 10 days before <a href=”https://www.wilberforce.edu/welcome-class-of-2022/” target=”_blank”>new student orientation was scheduled</a>. The university posted an HLC-approved statement on its website on July 31, a day before <a href=”http://www.wilberforce.edu/academics/academic-calendar/” target=”_blank”>classes were scheduled to start</a>.</p> <p>Looking at it from an institution’s perspective, it’s possible to see why a college or university might want to have time to make an announcement on its terms. Universities have used gaps between the date of a probation decision and when they publicly disclose that decision to inform key constituencies about an accreditor’s action.</p> <p>The University of Providence, in Great Falls, Mont., was placed on probation when the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities met this June over concerns about requirements related to public disclosure and its relationship with the accreditation commission. It received a formal letter from the accreditor July 30 and had until Aug. 7 to appeal <a href=”http://www.nwccu.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Appeals-Policy.pdf” target=”_blank”>under the accreditor’s policies</a>. It decided not to, according to Katie Carpenter, interim director of communication.</p> <p>Leaders then wanted to tell faculty about the probation in person, but faculty members did not have to report to campus until Aug. 15. Between Aug. 7 and Aug. 15, the university told board members and key donors. Then on Aug. 15 it told faculty and staff members and sent an email to students and parents. The local newspaper did not report on the probation <a href=”https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2018/08/16/great-falls-university-providence-faces-accrediting-questions/999752002/” target=”_blank”>until Aug. 15</a> under an agreement with the university, Carpenter said.</p> <p>“We really wanted to inform our constituencies, especially faculty, in person,” she said. “It couldn’t have come at a trickier time because faculty wasn’t back on campus until the 15th.”</p> <p>For responsible colleges, the extra time can mean an opportunity to find the right way to deliver the news, add context and answer questions. Of course, skeptics could argue it allows for institutions to find ways to massage the message and make critical problems sound less serious. The playbook for colleges and universities that are on probation for financial reasons seems to be to issue public statements arguing the situation has no bearing on their academics, for example. Many experts would say financial problems can affect a student's academic experience, though — ask a Mount Ida student how the college's financial problems changed their classroom experience.</p> <p>Those who have spent time studying accreditation called the question of probation disclosures a classic example of a system with features in conflict. The goal of reviewing quality so an institution can pursue self-improvement conflicts with the goal of accountability and consumer protection, said Kevin Kinser, a professor of education and head of the Education Policy Studies department at Pennsylvania State University’s College of Education and editor of <a href=”https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/05/qa-uncertain-future-accreditation” target=”_blank”>a recent book about challenges facing accreditors</a>.</p> <p>“Here accreditation agencies are being deliberative in their decision-making, and giving institutions the opportunity to respond to findings in a confidential forum before they are made public,” Kinser said in an email. “In the meantime, however, they are potentially allowing poor-performing institutions to continue operation without consequences. The problem is that under the current system, no one has the authority to insist on one priority over the other, leaving accreditors to make their own judgment calls.”</p> <p>His co-editor on the book, Susan Phillips, concurred. Phillips, a professor in the department of educational administration and policy studies at the State University of New York at Albany, added that another system is in the mix as well: the federal government. It requires accreditors to afford institutions due process and spells out timelines under which accreditors must notify different parties about some actions.</p> <p>“The combination of those two provisions, plus the consumer protection concerns and the quality improvement concerns, end up making nondisclosure seem in some instances like a required due process not yet complete, in others like an appropriate opportunity to improve, and in yet others like consumer-endangering secrecy,” Phillips said in an email.</p> <p>What students don't immediately know won't hurt them. Or will it?</p> </div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-art-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden”><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>Assessment and Accountability</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Editorial Tags: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even” rel=”dc:subject”><a href=”/editorial-tags/accreditation” typeof=”skos:Concept” property=”rdfs:label skos:prefLabel” datatype=””>Accreditation</a></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-image-source field-type-text field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Image Source: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>Istockphoto.com/pagadesign</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this diversity newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-diversity-newsletter-order field-type-number-integer field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Newsletter Order: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>0</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-disable-left-side-advertis field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Disable left side advertisement?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-is-this-career-advice-news field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Is this Career Advice newsletter?: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-magazine-treatment field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Magazine treatment: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending field-type-list-boolean field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”></div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending-text field-type-text field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending text: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>How Public Should Probation Be?</div></div></div><div class=”field field-name-field-trending-order field-type-number-integer field-label-above”><div class=”field-label”>Trending order: </div><div class=”field-items”><div class=”field-item even”>2</div></div></div> Tue, 18 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 Rick Seltzer 260321 at https://www.insidehighered.com

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