U.S. universities have had century-long success in absorbing existing professions into their curricula—by making academe their gatekeeper. These professions often started with apprenticeships and short training courses leading to a… Read more »
Search Results for: Jay A. Halfond
From Kitchen to Classroom: The Serious Study of Food
When Jacques Pépin accepted his honorary doctorate from Boston University this past May, he made note of this truly symbolic moment. While his proposed dissertation focus on food had once been… Read more »
Unintended Consequences: An Uncertain Future for Distance Learning
While most in the academic community know about the attempt to rein in the for-profits, few are aware of its collateral damage. In October, the Department of Education issued its… Read more »
From Fortress to Vista on the World
When it comes to creating an international campus, America’s universities are far better at welcoming faculty and students from abroad—and sending students to study abroad—than in truly elevating global consciousness…. Read more »
Don’t Sweat the Big Stuff: Academic Innovation in all Shapes and Sizes
To listen as many of us incessantly complain, one would think academe is chronically resistant to change, new ideas and innovative programs. We often hear the smaller the stakes, the… Read more »
Biting the Hand: A Commentary on Academe’s Books About Itself (Books)
A new literary genre seems to be booming—book-length critiques on the state of American higher education. While a few celebrate American exceptionalism, most lament the decline of higher learning. Whether… Read more »
Distance Learning 2.0: It Will Take a Village
Last month, I suggested we separate hype from reality—not so much to criticize distance learning, but to seek an even higher ideal. Much of what is thrust under the umbrella… Read more »
Distance Learning: Untried and Untrue
G. K. Chesterton famously once said: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.” This, I believe, applies to distance learning as… Read more »
The Profit Prophets in Higher Education
The nation seems to have suddenly awoken to the reality that for-profit academic institutions are a force to be reckoned with. For so long, they have been ignored as inconsequential,… Read more »
Recession Amnesia and the Prospects for New England’s Institutions
Among the little truly predictable—or at least those rare things I’ve been able to successfully predict—I would suggest these three truths. First is the inevitability of recessions. Whether the result… Read more »