April 26, 2019
The Chronicle of Higher Education Volume 65, Issue 31Cover Story
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NewsThe Fall, and Rise, of Reading
Students often don’t complete assigned reading. Professors are finding ways to solve that puzzle.
Highlights
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News
‘Empowerment Self-Defense’ Programs Make Women Safer. Why Don’t More Colleges Use Them?
Self-defense courses that focus on making female students stronger and more confident can be controversial. Some people say they place a burden on women to protect themselves.
Commentary
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Backgrounder
Being a Black Academic in America
We asked African-American scholars about race, merit, and belonging. Here’s what they told us. -
The Review
The University Is a Ticking Time Bomb
Treating nearly 75 percent of the professoriate as disposable is not sustainable. -
The Review
The Bleak Prophecy of Timothy Snyder
The Yale historian warns about the risk of totalitarianism under Trump. That’s great for selling books — but scholars are alarmed. -
The Review
Two Famous Academics, 3,000 Fans, $1,500 Tickets
Jordan Peterson and Slavoj Zizek will face off this month in Toronto. So exciting … or so what? -
The Review
‘We’re Here to Discuss the Meaning of Life’
On the purpose of the humanities and who’s the greatest teacher of all time. -
The Review
We Won’t Speak at Your Commencement — and Hope No One Else Will Either
Not until your college divests its endowment of fossil fuels. -
Advice
To Chair or Not to Chair?
Whether to lead your department is a question that every faculty member must answer. Here are some factors to help you make the call.
Also In the Issue
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News
What It Means, Politically, to Serve Hispanics
The mission that Hispanic-serving institutions fulfill should go beyond meeting white normative standards, says the author of a new book. -
News
Transitions: Reed College Selects New Chief, Vice President for Academic Affairs Named at Pitzer College
Audrey Bilger, now at Pomona College, will be the first woman to lead Reed. Pitzer’s next chief academic officer comes from Claremont Graduate University. -
News
Transitions: Former President Returns to West Virginia U. Institute of Technology, Carnegie Fellows Named
Carolyn Long will return to lead the technology campus. The Carnegie Corporation of New York selected 32 fellows for 2019. -
Chronicle List
Recent Private Gifts to Higher Education: Tufts Gets $10.8 Million to Study Extreme Selfishness
Other large gifts to colleges will be used for dementia research, buildings, work-force training, and scholarships. -
News
What I’m Reading: ‘Connected by the Ear’
A book on the Romantic lecture reminds a language professor why she prefers to be a “guide at the side” in the classroom. -
News
Transitions: New President for U. of Idaho, 2019 Guggenheim Fellows Named
C. Scott Green, a law-firm officer, will lead the University of Idaho. Two-thirds of this year’s Guggenheim fellows are in academe. -
News
‘It’s an Aristocracy’: What the Admissions-Bribery Scandal Has Exposed About Class on Campus
The criminal actions of a few rogue coaches and parents have shined a spotlight on the role that elite colleges play in perpetuating wealth and privilege. -
Finance
U. of Tulsa Has a Billion-Dollar Endowment for Just 4,000 Students. Why Is It Cutting Programs?
A plan for “reimagining” the university seeks to give it a defined identity. But the proposal faces pushback from faculty members. -
Fund Raising
Hampshire College’s New President Has a Mandate: Raise Money
Kenneth Rosenthal, appointed interim leader of the troubled college last Friday, spoke with The Chronicle about his new role. -
News
Low-Income Students Told Brown U. That Textbook Prices Limited Their Choices. Here’s What the University Is Doing About It.
New college-affordability efforts have their roots in student activism. -
News
U. of Wisconsin at Stevens Point Pulls Back From Plan to Cut 6 Liberal-Arts Programs
Facing a budget deficit and enrollment declines, the university had said it would eliminate majors in art, geography, history, and other fields. Now it says the cuts are no longer needed. -
Academic Freedom
Students’ Ban of Conservative Group Prompts Outrage. But It’s Unenforceable, University Says.
When Texas State students voted to bar Turning Point USA, a battle over free speech erupted. -
News
New Jersey Made Its Student Loans More Consumer-Friendly. But Most Borrowers Were Left Out.
The vast majority of borrowers are ineligible for the state’s income-based repayment programs, which are underwritten by Wall Street. -
Affirmative Action
After an Education Dept. Investigation, a Medical School Will Stop Considering Race in Admissions
Texas Tech University’s Health Sciences Center doesn’t think its admissions policy broke the law. But it wanted to resolve a case opened more than a decade ago. -
News
Are Students Socially Connected? Check Their Dining-Hall-Swipe Data
A semester’s worth of dining-hall swipes at the University of Iowa revealed a correlation with retention and graduation rates. -
News
‘A Scramble to Keep Our Promises’: How Colleges Make Teach-Outs Work After Sudden Campus Closures
Teach-out programs promise a seamless transition after a college shuts down, but the pressure to make that happen can put a strain on the institutions offering their support. -
News
‘A Triumph of Bureaucracy’: How One University Is Converting From Quarters to Semesters
California State University at San Bernardino is among the few universities of its kind on the quarter system. It’s switching to semesters, and that takes a lot of work. -
News
Consensus or Chaos? Education Dept.’s Rule-Making Session Reaches Agreement
A negotiated rule-making committee came to an unlikely decision on Wednesday, unanimously approving a wide range of regulatory changes that affect accreditation.
