Some time ago, I read The University, an Owner’s Manual (published in 1990), by Henry Rosovsky former Dean of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Rosovsky’s book focuses on his experiences as the undergraduate Dean and a faculty member at Harvard and provides commentary on managing academics at universities. There is a dialogue in Rosovsky’s book that I think of often.
Powers of the Mind
I have to admit that I was curious how Powers of the Mind would play out based on the title. I had read a brief review of the book in reference to general education courses, so I acquired it for that purpose. The author, Donald N. Levine, is the former Dean of the University of Chicago.
Online Programs in K-12 Education
Our programs and courses have been online since 1996. There are several organizations that track the progress of online post-secondary enrollments including Eduventures and the Sloan Consortium. There’s no doubt that the convenience of online post-secondary programs is a major reason that more and more adults are continuing or furthering their college education through online degree programs.
Globalization and the Importance of Understanding Cultures
America has been accused by many of being insensitive to the importance of cultures. Eugene Burdick and William Lederer’s1958 book The Ugly American argued that America was losing the struggle against Communism in Southeast Asia in large part due to its inability and /or unwillingness to understand the local cultures there. There clearly was a disconnect between Burdick’s and Lederer’s thesis at the time and U.S.
The Last Lecture
At the Chronicle’s Executive Leadership Forum, Jeffrey Zaslow spoke about Randy Pausch the Carnegie Mellon professor who was the subject of a Wall Street Journal column last fall. Zaslow, a Carnegie Mellon alum and reporter for the WSJ, heard about Pausch’s lecture and received permission from his editor to cover it. At the last minute, he decided to video some of the lecture and post it on the Journal’s website before the article was published.
Looming Teacher Shortage in K-12 Schools
Much has been written about the looming teacher shortage as the current generation of Baby Boomer Teachers nears retirement. Teacher salaries versus the escalating cost of a college degree are an often-cited reason why many of today’s students do not choose a career in teaching. USA Today estimated in February 2006 that the average college graduate would carry at least $19,000 in student debt upon graduation.
Fourth of July
If you were born in the U.S.A. (apologies to Bruce Springsteen), you have memories of July 4th. My favorite memories are mainly from my youth when we would celebrate the nation’s birthday and my grandfather’s birthday (July 4, 1888) with our family reunion. Aunts, uncles, cousins; it was a well-attended event and we would have a softball game or two if the weather cooperated.
The Big Switch
Nicholas Carr is known to many for his book,
Does IT Matter His new book, The Big Switch, is just as provocative and one that I recommend for stimulating your thinking about many of our businesses today. Carr provides the reader with a background on the electric industry and its evolution from private company and municipality driven systems to standardized and large public utilities empowering the widespread usage of electrical appliances.
Accountability in Higher Education
American Public University System has focused on assessment and learning outcomes since 2004. Dr. Jennifer Stephens, our Dean of Assessment, publishes our learning outcomes on the web at http://www.apus.edu/learning-outcomes-assessment. We are committed to continuous improvement and making sure that we are providing online programs that match our students’ needs. I asked Dr. Stephens to provide me with a guest blog article summarizing the trends in accountability and our participation in the Transparency by Design initiative.
Is it reasonable to assume a goal of achieving carbon neutrality?
I attended The Chronicle of Higher Education’s annual Executive Leadership Forum in Washington, DC and had the opportunity to listen to a panel discussing the pros and cons of signing the Presidents Climate Commitment. David Oxtoby, President of Pomona College and former Dean of Physical Sciences at the University of Chicago, made a point which was similar to my thinking that he had some reservations about his and any institution’s ability to achieve carbon neutrality but thought that the process of examining efforts and pledging a commitment was important.