ACTA's Must-Reads
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A good and instructive discussion
Today, ACTA friend Jane Shaw of the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy comments on a recent conference for trustees convened by Texas governor Rick Perry. ACTA had the privilege of attending and assisting with the session -- as we have done in many other states -- and we join Jane in applauding Governor Perry and our mutual friend Jeff Sandefer for their leadership in Texas.
Jane also points to Colorado as an example of successful higher-education reform, and there again, we certainly agree. We have worked closely with officials there and lauded the state's reforms in a publication called Any State Can. Other states would do well to stage similar discussions, and interested trustees and policymakers might take a look at Jane's piece and ACTA's Any State Can.
Posted by Charles Mitchell at 01:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The many meanings of sustainability
If you have followed the controversy surrounding the University of Delaware's Residence Life Program, you may have come across the term sustainability. In its most minimalist interpretation, the term can be used to encourage curbing wasteful practices like leaving on lights and keeping water running while brushing one's teeth. However, according to Wall Street Journal deputy taste editor Naomi Schaefer Riley, sustainability has become a pervasive ideology on many of America's college campuses that promotes very specific perspectives including "Fair Trade," "Gender Equity," "Affirmative Action," "Multicultural Competence," "Worker's Rights" and "Domestic Partnerships." To find out more, read Riley's full article.
Posted by Matthew S. Mawhinney at 05:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Huzzah for Mr. Hertog, an intelligent donor indeed
Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal published an interview of philanthropist Roger Hertog -- who gives substantially to higher education. Like ACTA, he wishes to bring about greater intellectual diversity on campus through working closely with like-minded professors: "You have to really find partners on campuses that are tenured and that have the ability, if you provide some venture capital, to write new courses, bring in some visiting faculty and create some fellowships." Other donors would do well to follow his example. And for more background, check out ACTA's Intelligent Donor's Guide to College Giving.
Posted by Charles Mitchell at 09:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Making good decisions requires good information
Trustees have an obligation to act in the best interest of students, parents and taxpayers. And it's important that they have the most complete information available. It appears many of the trustees at the University of Delaware will vote next Monday on the status of a controversial residence life program having only seen an executive summary. To help the Board make an informed decision, ACTA has sent all of the members a copy of the full proposal along with a memo outlining serious concerns.
Activities in college dorms are often quite different from those trustees remember from their college days. This memo shows how.
Posted by Matthew S. Mawhinney at 02:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Try again, CU
Today's Wall Street Journal reports on the University of Colorado at Boulder's attempts to raise funds for a Professor of Conservative Thought and Policy position. While CU deserves great credit for attempting to address the issue of intellectual diversity -- and its Board of Regents has done so fruitfully in other ways -- ACTA has concerns about this particular approach. ACTA president Anne D. Neal enumerates them in a post on National Review Online's "Phi Beta Cons" blog.
Posted by Charles Mitchell at 05:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Indoctrination in the dorms
Today at Minding the Campus, John K. Wilson and Adam Kissel are debating the University of Delaware's residential life practices, and trustees should pay close attention. UD is deciding what should take place in its dorms next year, in the wake of revelations of indoctrination in last year's program -- which are outlined extensively in Kissel's piece. As the example of UD shows, today's residence halls bear little resemblance to those most trustees and alumni remember. RAs are being tasked with much more than pizza parties and making sure students are physically safe -- and their new responsibilities often take politicized and troubling forms. And it costs real money -- UD's program, for instance, employs about 250 individuals.
If you are a trustee, are you aware of exactly what your university is doing in its residence halls? Is it appropriate? Is it the best way to spend your institution's limited resources? These are questions worth asking -- before your college makes the kind of bad headlines UD has.
Posted by Charles Mitchell at 05:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack