ACTA's Must-Reads

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Bravo to Penn State

As demonstrated in a recent article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, President Graham Spanier has shown strong and wise leadership where it counts by standardizing teaching loads at Penn State University, eliminating the many "special deals" that take professors out of the classroom.

In some areas, his initiative has been dramatically effective. Last year, only four of the English department's 13 sections of introductory-level literature were taught by tenured or tenure-track professors. This fall, 12 of the 13 are. Engaging senior faculty in the university's teaching mission shows fiscal responsibility and commitment to academic quality.

Years ago, the distinguished historian Donald Kagan, serving as dean of Yale College, called for senior faculty to teach introductory level classes. Kagan, who had always himself followed that good practice, argued that the comprehensive vision that builds a strong undergraduate introductory course needs the experience of a full professor. ACTA has recommended that trustees seriously consider increased teaching loads in these tough economic times. Penn State provides a model of significant progress on that front.

Michael Poliakoff

Posted by dburnett on October 19, 2011 at 02:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Tail Wagging the Dog

The situation at Florida A&M University between the governing board and the president is an embarrassment to Florida A&M's trustees. At issue is president James H. Ammons' terms of employment. His three-year contract is "evergreen," meaning it is automatically renewed, in this case every morning. It stipulates a 25% to 35% annual bonus, dependent on meeting certain institutional goals, on top of a base salary of $325,000. Aside from flagrant or criminal breaches of contract only a supermajority of the board (9 out of 13 members) can fire Mr. Ammons without cause and would be forced to provide severance equal to three years compensation - a little under a million dollars not factoring in bonuses.

The trustees would like to renegotiate the president's compact, only they can't because the peculiar arrangement precludes the board from initiating contractual negotiations outside of seeking termination. In other words, trustees can't negotiate new terms unless they try to fire Ammons outright or the board gains his consent to enter into talks.

"It strikes everybody as the tail wagging the dog," chairman of the board Solomon L. Badger III told the Chronicle of Higher Education. Indeed, that is strikingly the case in this instance.

As we noted in our trustee brochure, Selecting A New President: What to do Before You Hire a Search Firm, "The most important job a board performs is the selection of a president." The selection process includes every stage of a search through formulating a presidential contract amenable to all parties. By agreeing to such a one-sided contract, one that makes the president largely unaccountable to his ostensible employers, the board of trustees has abdicated its responsibility to the school and abjectly failed in its fiduciary duty to tuition-payers and taxpayers. That Florida A&M University is public makes this negligence all the more troublesome.

Relationships between governing boards and presidents should be cooperative, not adversarial. But the relationship is hierarchical. Governing boards must fulfill their obligations by leading. To govern effectively trustees must be able to hold their presidents to account, and not only in cases of gross or malicious misbehavior. The present embarrassment and hamstringing of Florida A&M's trustees, and the negative public response, should offer clear evidence against giving presidents free reign and scant effectual oversight.

Posted by Max Brindle on October 14, 2011 at 05:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Bringing Maturity to Campus

There is a common conception of the modern university as separated from the outside world, a secluded "bubble" whose distance from the complexities of reality is a net benefit for the institution and society. Academics largely prefer working in a vacuum. Students think of school as a country club with all the requisite amenities. Administrations are all too eager to oblige them.

Take the ever-influential Arum and Roksa study Academically Adrift. They found that the average student spends 12-13 hours a week on academic work outside of class, or roughly half the norm of fifty years ago. Students currently allocate 16% of their time attending class and studying, compared to 24% sleeping and 51% of their time socializing. And students are staying at school longer - only 36% of full-time, first-time bachelor's degree-seeking students graduate within 4 years. Only 57% manage to graduate within 6 years.

These statistics do not offer a picture of postsecondary education dedicated to academic excellence and operating in a climate of academic seriousness. Students believe college is an oasis, a holiday, and they are often not even prepared for college, let alone the world. Fortunately, some organizations and institutions recognize the problem. One example is Princeton University's Bridge Year program.

The program selects incoming students to spend nine months prior to their freshman year engaged in community service in one of several international locations. Whether teaching English at a school in Ghana or developing local construction projects in Peru, students become fully immersed in a foreign environment, "collaborating earnestly and gaining a deep understanding of the lives and experiences of local people." The program fills the gap between high school and college and helps ensure students are "ready" for the college experience. One student who recently completed the program wrote, "Compared to a year ago... I have clearer plans and aspirations. More importantly, I feel equipped to accomplish them, not just ready to dream them up."

Besides Princeton, other organizations like the American Jewish Committee offer service initiatives - designed to aid a young person's maturity, sense of community, and sense of purpose in the gap year before college. ACTA applauds these efforts; it's time more institutions thought along these lines.

Posted by Max Brindle on October 07, 2011 at 05:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Constituting America seeks to bring Constitution education back to students

Undergraduate college students with a passion for American history and our nation's founding principles are encouraged to enter the "We the People 9*17 Contest," the non-profit foundation Constituting America announced today.

Through the contest, college and law school students across America are eligible to win a $2,000 cash prize by creating an original song, short film, public service announcement or speech addressing a variety of topics related to the U.S. Constitution. In addition to the cash prize, contest winners will receive a trip to Philadelphia and national exposure as "future leaders" in a video documentary on the contest winners. Last year's winning entries can be viewed here.

College rules and information are available here.

Posted by dburnett on October 06, 2011 at 11:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack