Current Issue

News and Commentary

• As Its Popular President Retires, Southern Cal Looks for an Encore

  The primary task of the University of Southern California's new leader will be to sustain the university's ambitious ascent into the elite ranks.

  • The University's Transformation Under President Steven B. Sample

• A New Measure of Poverty

  A paper by two academic economists may help redefine what poverty means, and provide new paths to confront it.

  • Audio: Poverty, Reconsidered

• Bigger Classes Encourage Experiments in Teaching

  As tight budgets lead to higher student-faculty ratios, some campuses, like California State University at Chico, see a chance to try new ways of teaching.

• Conservation Professor Applies His Science to National Parks

  Gary Machlis, of the University of Idaho, is the first full-time science adviser to the director of the National Park Service.

• A Small Number With a Big Following

  Every March 14, math lovers celebrate a beautiful figure.

• From MIT, a Wheelchair That Rolls With the Terrain

  A doctoral student designs a self-powered vehicle for disabled people in developing countries.

• Neckwear Ties Presidents to Universities

  Don't let that mild-mannered bow tie fool you. The guy wearing it rules.

• Towson U. Adjunct Fired After Using Racist Term to Describe His Work Rights

  The instructor, an artist who has taught at the university for 12 years, apologized for using the inflammatory word, but said it accurately described his position.

• More Professors Could Share Lectures Online. But Should They?

  There are good reasons to press the "record" button, writes Jeffrey R. Young, but some professors think putting lectures on the Internet might desecrate the classroom.

  • Video: Superman ... in My Classroom?

• Financial Affairs: Why the Endowment Debate Matters Now More Than Ever

  The controversy about universities' stewardship of their big endowments is not over, writes Goldie Blumenstyk. In fact, the questions are now getting even larger.

  • Grassley: Colleges' Endowment Spending Is Still on the Front Burner

• One-Third of Faculty Members See Dip in Their Salaries

  In addition, about 20 percent received no raise in 2009-10, says a national report released today.

  • Chart: Average Faculty Salaries by Field and Rank at 4-Year Colleges and Universities, 2009-10

• As Funds for Facilities Dry Up, Colleges Look to Energy Companies for Upgrades

  Campus officials turn to energy-service providers to complete facilities projects, but the deals don't always work out well for the colleges.

• Forum Highlights Ways to Tune Up Universities as Engines of Economic Development

  Participants in a Commerce Department event suggested creating more regional innovation centers and setting aside federal research grants to support early-stage ideas.

• Complexities Grow for Student-Loan Bill in Senate

  A complicated web of national political issues affects what will happen next.

• A Small Number With a Big Following

  Every March 14, math lovers celebrate a beautiful figure.

• Community Colleges Help Learning-Disabled Students Break Into Math and Science

  In a project led by Landmark College, several two-year institutions are training instructors to tap the students' problem-solving strengths.

• Solving the Mystery of Matriculation Decisions

  At the highly selective Williams College, researchers found, race is a far stronger predictor of enrollment than price.

• Brandeis U. Graduate Wins Journalism Prize

  Ben Terris, a 2008 alumnus, received the David W. Miller Award for Young Journalists, which includes a $1,000 prize, from The Chronicle, where he worked as an intern.

• 17 States Pledge to Increase Graduation Rates, Joining a New National Effort

  Participating states will be required to set yearly goals for improvement and to publicly report data on their progress.

• Indian and American Academics Talk Reform and Partnerships

  Indian educators, many of whom are concerned about the state of their university system, used a meeting in New Delhi to reach out to potential American partners.

• British Council Calls on British and American Universities to Collaborate More

  An agency report urges, among other things, that the institutions use their complementary strengths to build three-way partnerships in China and India.

• Huntsville Shooting Should Encourage 'Cultures of Reporting'

  "Campus shooters rarely have reportable criminal histories that would show up on a typical background screening."

• 'Victorian Studies and Its Publics'

  "Victorian studies has long had multiple publics dating to its beginnings and has in turn benefited from public audiences and resources."

• Should Ph.D.'s Teach Grade School? Only After Attitude Adjustment

  "The truth is, elementary and secondary teaching is very different from teaching in higher education, not only because of the obvious developmental differences."

• Staff Members Should Be Included in Study-Abroad Programs

  "Study-abroad programs cannot hope to effectively maximize their campus-internationalization efforts unless staff members are truly integrated" into the programs.