ACTA's Must-Reads

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Academic Freedom and Academic Responsibility

ACTA has consistently spoken out in defense of academic freedom as the very lifeblood of the American academy. ACTA has also called for high standards of professional ethics within the academy to accompany academic freedom. There is, after all, no constitutional or natural right to academic freedom: it is a very special privilege widely granted by institutions in recognition of the importance of free inquiry. It also draws upon a longstanding tradition of public respect for professorial integrity. ACTA's recent panel at the American Association of University Professors Conference on Shared Governance accordingly emphasized the inseparability of academic freedom and academic ethics.

Today, ACTA Research Fellows, Erin O'Connor and Maurice Black published an important article in Inside Higher Education, "Save Academic Freedom." They write, "Professors must decide how much academic freedom is worth to them. Is it worth policing themselves--consistently, consequentially, and transparently?" That is, indeed, the question.

Posted by Michael Poliakoff on February 28, 2011 at 04:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Accountability on the March: Kudos to Randolph-Macon

The premise behind What Will They Learn? is simple: do colleges take their promises seriously? Schools that promise a liberal arts education should provide, at the very, very least, a general grounding for that education. Most don't.

Now Randolph-Macon College has taken the next step in accountability. Coming on the heels of Sewanee's announcement of tuition reduction, this step indicates that trustees are responding to the needs of the market and taking seriously their responsibility to offer a valuable, transforming education--not merely a credential. Randolph-Macon has announced to the world: at least one college promises a quality education.

From Randolph-Macon's announcement:

Randolph-Macon's academic program and personalized student advising are exceptional. As a result, the College guarantees in writing that freshmen entering in Fall 2011 who meet the Four-Year Degree Guarantee requirements will graduate within four calendar years. If not, Randolph-Macon will waive tuition costs for courses needed to complete the degree. This is Randolph-Macon's promise to students and represents what the College has been doing well for nearly two centuries.

"The very nature of a Randolph-Macon education allows us to make this commitment with confidence," said Lindgren. "Our hand-tooled education means direct and personal interaction with faculty and staff, small classes with personal attention and constant mentoring, and access to the classes that students need in order to progress toward their degrees in a timely manner."

Posted by Michael Pomeranz on February 25, 2011 at 11:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

ROTC at Columbia?

We have called before for ROTC's return to elite campuses. Last week, we sent a letter urging the Harvard Corporation to take action--now. No further delay is required. The ostensible opposition to ROTC--the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy--is no more. Trustees can dedicate a physical space for ROTC cadets on campus, charge faculty to develop curricula, and so on, without any other actions.

And it's what students and faculty want. Although a few, mired in the old fights of the 60s, jeer veterans and their allies, most endorse the restoration of the ROTC program on elite college campuses.

Posted by Michael Pomeranz on February 25, 2011 at 08:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Students for Education

The Washington Post's Daniel De Vise has two good pieces in the last two days about education. First, he profiles University of Virginia student Laura Nelson. Frustrated by the lack of intellectual rigor and liberal arts education on campus, she built her own curriculum, in the form of regular seminars with top professors and a 1500-person e-mail list of educational events on campus. (Sound familiar?) Imagine that: professors teaching undergraduates. Unfortunately, it's a novelty and many of our nation's "top" schools, including, apparently, Virginia. Kudos to Ms. Nelson. This should wake up the Virginia trustees to the depth of the academic problem: who is looking out for student learning? We should point out that Nelson is an Echols scholar, which scholarship exempts her from the already weak core.

Which brings us to DeVise's second piece: eight ideas for "fixing" American higher ed. Many gems are here: Measure how much students learn, bring back homework, and so on. But we like this the very best: revive the core curriculum! Read the whole piece.

Posted by Michael Pomeranz on February 21, 2011 at 10:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sewanee takes a stand

The University of the South, better known by its nickname of Sewanee, has set an example for other schools to follow. Over and over again institutions attempt to solve their budgetary woes on the backs of their students in the form of higher tuition and fees. And often it is unclear just what the extra money is buying. As ACTA has shown repeatedly in its series of state report cards, these same institutions that claim tuition hikes are unavoidable typically increase their administrative expenditures at rates far exceeding what they spend on instruction. Sewanee, however, has established a new paradigm. It has announced that it will be cutting tuition for the 2011-12 school year -- and not by a little, either: tuition will drop a full 10%. In announcing the decision, Sewanee President and Vice-Chancellor John McCardell said that "Higher education is on the verge of pricing itself beyond the reach of more and more families," adding that "The reduction in tuition at Sewanee recognizes today's new economic realities and the pressures that families face."

Inside Higher Ed reports that Sewanee expects to lose approximately $3 million this year because of the tuition drop, but that they nonetheless expect to be offering more, not less, need-based financial aid.

This is leadership.

Sewanee is a highly regarded, selective institution, which is under no financial pressure. But they observed that they were increasingly losing top students to state schools, and rather than lower their academic standards, they lowered their price. Sewanee has committed itself to finding a way to live within a tighter budget -- just as millions of American households have. ACTA previously took note of Southern Illinois University, which last year froze tuition, even as financial pressures mounted. Let's hope more schools follow these courageous, visionary leaders.

Posted by Eric Markley on February 18, 2011 at 03:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Restructuring, Leadership, and Community at Idaho State University

These are tough times. Universities must make do with less, and that has caused plenty of friction. Two years ago, Secretary Arne Duncan warned colleges and universities of the pain to come, "If at the end of the day they think they're going to be able to avoid making hard decisions, I think that’s unrealistic."

At Idaho State University, President Arthur Vailas has implemented a significant reorganization of departments and programs. There are many unhappy constituencies.

The restructuring plan itself, "Moving Forward with Strength: Idaho State University Proposed Campus Reorganization" of April 2010 is a sound strategy that appears to emphasize not only cost-effectiveness but also faculty concerns, including their role in governance.

The implementation of the restructuring at Idaho State, unfortunately, has been fraught with discord for some time, including an earlier vote of no confidence against the Provost, legal investigations of faculty leadership, the termination of a professor who criticized the President.

None of the reorganization has been easy. At this moment, the ISU faculty has passed a vote of no confidence in the President, while the Idaho State Board of Education has pledged its support for him.

ISU's rethinking is what is required.

ACTA's recent publication, "Here We Have Idaho, A State Report Card on Public Higher Education" showed that tuition at ISU has risen 18.2% from 2004-05 to 2009-10, and administrative spending increased 65.9% percent, while instructional costs only rose 39% percent during the period 2002-03 to 2007-08. With a six-year graduation rate of 30%, ISU clearly has significant issues to address.

Institutions like Arizona State University, which restructured and consolidated programs, have improved both cost and quality. The same thing is happening at Minnesota's Bemidji State and, most recently, at Missouri's public colleges and universities.

In the current economic circumstances, consolidation of academic units and institutional collaboration represent the last hope for avoiding across-the-board downsizing or widespread elimination of programs. If there is a moral to be drawn from ISU's bewildering turmoil, it is that the harsh economic reality facing higher education requires everyone, faculty, administrators, and trustees, to make real sacrifices to protect the interests of students. It is especially incumbent on administrators to build consensus whenever possible around the difficult choices that their institutions will inevitably have to make.

Posted by Michael Poliakoff on February 17, 2011 at 01:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What Higher Ed Can Learn from TFA

This weekend is the 20th anniversary summit of Teach For America here in Washington, D.C. So what are TFA's lessons for higher education? Here are a few:

-Alternatives to tenure can further education. Tenure plays an ongoing role in primary and secondary education, as well as in higher education. But some teachers, particularly younger ones, may be interested in non-tenure paths to higher ed teaching, just as "TFAers" are primarily non-tenured, and complement their tenured colleagues.

-Education schools have room for a lot of improvement. The success of many TFA teachers is well known, and the fact that they are not products of education schools. Ed schools should learn from the TFA. And trustees should be asking hard questions: which programs prepare successful teachers, and which leave them unprepared?

-Assessments are the friends of educators in pursuit of excellence. TFA relies on data: data on students, data on teachers, data on schools and school systems. Teachers differentiate lessons based on ability and the program builds professional development on data-driven insights. But in the higher ed world, this kind of accountability is rare. We are starting to see change with the Collegiate Learning Assessment. The recent study, Academically Adrift, shows that "on average, gains in critical thinking, complex reasoning, and writing skills (i.e. general collegiate skills) are either exceedingly small or empirically non-existent for a large proportion of students." Learning gains for education students were the lowest among the academic programs studied. Boards of Trustees need to insist on clear data about grading standards, academic rigor, and learning gains. They need to take action on the basis of that data.

-A culture of excellence matters. Teach for America and its alumni build transformational schools by expecting every child to learn. They accept no excuses. Higher education too often does the opposite: allowing kids to party rather than to learn and seeking to rationalize away poor performance measures.

-College students are not afraid of rigor. They rise to high expectations and sink to low expectations. TFA is a famously demanding program, and the graduates of our nation's flagship and top schools are eager to do what it takes. But while at college, too often they are coddled and not pressed, at least not academically. The result is a culture of partying, not of student achievement.

-Program closure can be good. No one would send his or her kid voluntarily to a failed program or school. TFA alumni in New York City, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, among other school district headquarters, pioneered aggressive school turn-around and accountability strategies: bad schools simply could not continue. It's the necessary complement to innovation. But in higher ed, under-subscribed and outdated programs often don't die--and they typically don't fade away. Only recently and rarely are colleges and universities closing programs.

-Reform is hard. Maintaining the status quo is easy. It's easy for politicians and it's easy for trustees. That's why so many people stop talking education reform when asked to take specific action. Trustees serious about academic excellence must prepare themselves for a tough campaign--just as Wendy Kopp prepared herself twenty years ago.

Whole books can (and should!) be written about TFA's lessons for higher education. But these few points show how common sense reform is needed in education--and not just at the primary and secondary levels.

Posted by Michael Pomeranz on February 11, 2011 at 02:41 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Insight in Louisiana

"Louisiana's public higher education system faces a number of serious challenges. . . . Only 40 percent of students who enroll in four-year colleges earn a degree within six years, well below national norms. And a meager 25 percent of students are enrolling in the state's community and two-year institutions, even though data indicate the state's economic needs are heavily tilted towards two-year and certification programs. At a time when students, parents, and the state treasury are hurting and every dollar needs to be used effectively, there is evidence that higher education can do a better job of employing limited public resources."

So testified ACTA President Anne D. Neal to the Louisiana Postsecondary Review Commission about a year ago. Subsequently, the Regents have questioned programs that fail to graduate students.

The state has made some progress: easing transfer state-wide and targeting administrative bloat. Nonetheless, Louisiana has made plenty of mis-steps. The low graduation rates and mis-allocation of resources continue to bedevil the system.

Now, a new study by Harry Stille, Ph. D., focuses on the costs of students who don't graduate. The Regents ought to read this new study and consider it seriously.

Posted by Michael Pomeranz on February 08, 2011 at 03:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Big Questions Unanswered at Dartmouth College

"It was understood that a liberally educated person was one who had grappled both with what today are called the 'big questions'," voices Peter Blair, a concerned Dartmouth student. And so it was. The purpose of college is to educate the citizenry. Every educated person should be prepared for a life of active citizenship, and familiar enough with basic subjects to have the flexibility to switch career paths should they want to. But a recent study by Richard Arum of NYU and Joseph Roksa of UVA reveals that students are not learning much their first two years of college. Too few curricula are meeting that minimum threshold. Institutions are leaving students with a lot of unanswered questions in important subjects such as US History, Government, Economics, Math, Science, Writing, Literature, and Foreign Language. Surely a well-rounded individual has learned these subjects at a college level.

As Peter Blair points out, Dartmouth students need not encounter the "big questions" that a student would meet in any survey literature class: Dartmouth College requires no literature survey. Nor economics, American history, nor mathematics. We've previously noted trustees who want to ensure this issue is addressed at Dartmouth.

ACTA has some "big questions" for parents, what are your children learning in college? Is your money going towards providing them a quality education, or are they given easy alternatives to useful higher learning? ACTA's resource, WhatWillTheyLearn.com, answers those questions and determines whether or not colleges today have a core curriculum and are providing their students the necessary education to be informed and conversant in the real world. Thus, ACTA stands behind what Peter Blair says about choosing the next dean; "If President Kim wants to make good on his vocal support for the liberal arts, he should take the time to seriously consider [ways of adding greater meaning to the College's curriculum]."

Posted by Jose Herrera on February 07, 2011 at 03:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

WhatWillTheyLearn.com reaches new milestone

WhatWillTheyLearn.com, our free college resource guide that evaluates the general education programs of nearly 750 colleges and universities across the country, has reached yet another milestone. Since the publication of Kathleen Parker's editorial in the Washington Post on August 15, 2010, the What Will They Learn? website has been visited over 120,000 times!

More recently, the project has been featured in such varied media outlets as the Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal and the Huffington Post.

Posted by Tom Bako on February 04, 2011 at 09:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Louisiana Eliminates Underperforming Programs

Louisiana's Board of Regents have engaged in one of the most rigorous reviews the nation has seen in recent memory. It will serve as a model for other states. The Regents reviewed every student program. Those programs that have failed to graduate more than a handful of students, the Regents designated as "low-completers." Each campus will have the opportunity to explain why the low-completers make sense both from a financial and from a mission point of view for the school; the Regents will then terminate failed, redundant, and costly programs.

With this review, Louisiana's Regents have jumped to the front of the line as states march to do more with less. We'll see if they can seal the deal by actually eliminating unjustified programs that cost taxpayers and students money without adding value to students and contributing to the state's workforce. One way to do this is consolidation, especially for low-enrollment foreign language programs.

Posted by Michael Pomeranz on February 02, 2011 at 04:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack