A controversial new curriculum unveiled this month at one of the nation's leading journalism schools is sparking heated debate over the role that marketing and technology should play in the education of future reporters and broadcasters. The most controversial change, though, is the increased emphasis on "audience understanding." Some praise the…

In this article, the author presents an interview with Thomas F. Staley, director of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas. This interview touches on many issues that have cropped up in his long stay at the helm of the center, where Dr. Staley juggles the demands of multiple constituencies that include scholars,…

Should the 21st-century university have a core curriculum? The report of the Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education said nothing about general education, the learning that educated Americans should share. Instead the Spellings commission report highlighted broad access and measurable "value added" as the major…

Officials at Villa Julie College marvel at how quickly the institution's transformation took place, from serving commuters to becoming a much more residential campus. As recently as the 2003-2004 academic year, Villa Julie, located in an affluent suburb of Baltimore, was leasing off-campus apartments to house more than 300 students because zoning…

Nancy Fried Foster was an anthropologist hired by University of Rochester's library to study its undergraduates, to help shed light on how they do their research and write papers, and how they spend their days. The results of the study helped guide a library renovation, influenced a Web-site redesign, led to changes in the way the library markets…

The recent release of another critique of accreditation provides an opportunity to sort through some of the mass of ill-informed rhetoric in Washington regarding the nature and limitations of collegiate approval processes. The new report, "Why Accreditation Doesn't Work and What Policy Makers Can Do About It," comes from the American Council of…

In this article, the author discusses the issue surrounding the blanket rejection of career-school credits by traditional schools. Whether they attend a career college, community college, online college, or brick-and-mortar university, many Americans find that higher education has become a "grab and go" proposition. To them, attending multiple…

This article reports that construction is nearing completion on Pyongyang University of Science and Technology in North Korea, in which academics from around the world will teach the best of the country's graduate students. This will be North Korea's first international university and will let the world know that the capacity of their scientists…

This article reports on the increase of Middle Eastern students in universities in Australia and New Zealand because of difficulties in getting visas for the United States and Britain. Difficulties in securing visas, combined with more aggressive recruiting by higher-education institutions in New Zealand and Australia, have led a growing number of…

In this article, the author shares his experiences as a fund-raiser. He shares that fund-raising has normally two "busy seasons": (1) In December, when folks scurry to make year-end gifts in order to realize tax benefits the following April; and (2) In June 30, the end of the fiscal year. This year was a memorable year for him and his fund-raising…

The campus of Salahadin University--peaceful, bustling, and collegial-- is a rare sight in Iraq, where sectarian violence has brought the higher education system to the verge of collapse. Home to the country's historically repressed four million to five million ethnic Kurds, it is an oasis of stability and tranquility while much of the rest of…

Many people believe that mathematics provides a model of what thinking is, or should be. They imagine that mathematical thinking always proceeds in a logically rigorous, step-by-step fashion from one truth to another, like a formal proof or a computer program. In fact, insights in mathematics -- whether they are the scholar's breakthroughs or the…

The deluge of money that private-equity investors have been pouring into buyouts of companies in all sectors of the economy is having a growing impact on higher education. Until recently, outside investors were primarily interested in the for-profit college industry, acquiring family-owned colleges and chains of colleges. Now several of those…

In recent years, studying abroad has grown in both prestige and popularity. Business and political leaders increasingly see it as one of the most effective ways to produce globally literate citizens. College administrators agree and are looking for ways to reduce the barriers--both financial and academic--that prevent most undergraduates from…

Several years ago, students in Central America rarely leave their countries to find work elsewhere. Such is the case of Sebastian Pinto who felt that his degree would not mean much beyond Guatemala, his country. But now, universities in Central American have started to offer regionally accredited degrees that would allow students' credentials to…