College human-resources officials, meeting in St. Louis, hear an unusually frank assessment of faculty hiring practices -- and an unflattering comparison to Wal-Mart.

Fresh Round of State Budget Cuts Hits Higher Education

Voluntary Trims: New Tactic to Preserve State Support

Video: Students Feel the Financial Crunch

Nobel Renews Attention to Columnist's Landmark Research

British Universities Affected by Financial Meltdown in Iceland

Zimbabwe's Universities Stay Shuttered as Crisis Deepens

Institute of Medicine Announces 65 New Members

Melanie Ho: How Much Are Protesters Really Learning?

Economists have long theorized about the causes of income inequality. But it's political scientists who are solving some key parts of the puzzle, writes Rick Valelly.
In November 2006, an Egyptian-immigrant street vendor in New York City (above) scores chestnuts for roasting. (Photograph by Andrew Lichtenstein, Corbis)

Contrary to conventional wisdom, students won't just read challenging books, they'll be invigorated by them, writes Nancy Bunge.

Full-blown fright has not set in, but some students at George Mason U. and Northern Virginia Community College are beginning to worry that the financial crisis will affect their ability to pay for their education.

The Brown Bag: Read a transcript of an online discussion with Barbara A. Lee, an expert in higher-education law and a professor at Rutgers University at New Brunswick, about strategies for navigating difficult classroom conversations and controversial topics while teaching, without landing yourself — or your institution — in a lawsuit.

Also of Interest

A special Chronicle report reveals which institutions have created exceptional work environments. It includes exclusive results from a first-ever Great Colleges to Work For survey of 15,000 academics from 89 colleges.

Charity and the Campaign
Both presidential nominees have a background in public service and both have proposed expanding national service, leaving many charity leaders optimistic about the prospects for their work no matter who wins.

A guide to some of the best writing on the Web.