The circumstances of tenure have changed and will likely continue to change, perhaps even dramatically. The proportion of university and college faculty members with full academic qualifications--which usually means those with earned doctorates--who either have tenure or are serving a probationary period for tenure has been declining steadily over…

In this article, the author discusses the impact of promoting false ideas about what a degree will do for working-class students by relating the sad story of his student, Maria, who died after 30 years of joyful life, nonstop activity, and one year of cancer. Maria was a student in the author's evening English composition class at their community…

In this article, the authors argue that huge administrative salaries are bad for morale and for higher education's image. They discuss the results of their study on the current salary of all members of their university. The authors found out that in the past two years, the salaries of professors had flat lined, not always keeping up with…

Ever since the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Association of American Colleges issued the joint 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, two truths have been deemed self-evident: that academic freedom is vital to meaningful teaching and intellectual work, and that tenure is necessary to ensure…

Given the financial burden they are taking on, parents and students are not interested in debates over tenure or academic freedom lest these distract them from the immediate goal of preparing to earn a living. Overburdened undergraduates-- students working twenty to forty hours each week to pay the bills and still taking out student loans--greet…

A frequent refrain in Utah County, which prides itself on being one of the most conservative communities in the country, is that its public institution of higher education, Utah Valley State College, should reflect "community values." Generally, the argument goes something like this: local taxpayers, who support the school, should not…

Drawing on several specific incidents of media misinterpretation or imbalanced reporting of information about higher education, particularly concerning faculty, the author examines how journalists can interpret and influence the balance of power on campuses. Issues discussed include presidential searches, campus employment patterns, and faculty…

Criticism of science reflects an exaggerated view of what science is capable of doing, even an expectation that science can "fix" the human condition, and misplaced fears about its hazards. Widespread scientific illiteracy in turn threatens the pursuit of science. (MSE)

As universities become more like businesses, they risk squandering the academic loyalty and public support on which they depend. College and university officials must not be seduced by the spectacular investment returns of the past decade as they put their assets at risk in the pursuit of profit. (Author/MSE)

The gap in understanding between scientists and the field of science studies, particularly critics of the current state of the sciences, is examined. It is argued that the tension has little or nothing to do with political correctness, but rather with the cost of science and the social contract on which its financial support rests. (MSE)

Public suspicion of professionals, including college faculty, as specialists who are, by their nature, antimajoritarian, is discussed and criticized. It is argued that true professionals are essentially disinterested individuals, in a society and an economy that are driven by self-interest, and that their reward for this unselfishness is…

A discussion of public attitudes toward higher education and faculty looks at deepening public distrust of the professoriate and tenure, ambivalence about college teaching as a professional pursuit, and the role of public relations efforts to win support within constituencies. Broader definitions of teaching and service, and more substantial ways…

A trustee argues that public institutions have more, not less, obligation to support free expression. A growing climate for suppression in the United States is feared. The discussion is in the context of the controversy at Nassau Community College (New York) over college production of a play. (Author/MSE)

There is an urgent need for American higher education institutions and the public to engage in two-way communication about these public interest questions: the quantity of higher education, its price and cost, its relationship to the workplace, opportunity and choice in higher education, and public understanding of its purposes. (MSE)

It is argued that negative portrayals of the professoriate in popular culture stem from growing anti-intellectualism in American society. College faculty are often derided as those whose work is primarily or entirely theoretical, too esoteric for practical use. Faculty are also portrayed as foolish or eccentric. Popular culture and public opinion…