Academic freedom needs to be defended from government, commercial and religious pressure. A simple enough statement. Surely stating the bleedin’ obvious? Does it really need to be said, and aren’t those battles already won? Well, it turns out that yes, it does, and no, they aren’t. Those threats appear to be looming large in states … Continue reading
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An Entrepreneur Sets Out to Do Better at Education Than His College Did
When Ben Nelson was a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, in the mid-1990s, he volunteered for the annual phone-athon to call admitted students. His job was to persuade them to enroll, and he was relentless in his sales pitch. When his classmates gave up after several nights of calls, Mr. Nelson returned … Continue reading
Minority-Serving Institutions Exist Across the Globe
One of the fundamental responsibilites of higher education is to provide open and equal opportunities for students to learn, succeed, and positively contribute to their local, national, and global societies. Great strides are being made in increasing educational access, retention completion, and success, yet there is still work to be done particularly for students from … Continue reading
Nelson Mandela, A Moral Educator
Today, as the world mourns the loss of Nelson Mandela, his legacy of combining resistance and strength in the face of oppression with courageous insistence on reconciliation inspires us. Nelson Mandela turned a history of pain and injustice into a remarkable lesson in the power of love. After what he had endured, many would have … Continue reading
Despite Poisoning Deaths, India’s School Lunch Program Must Go On
As of this writing, 25 children are reported dead in India after eating lunch tainted with insecticide at a primary school in the eastern state of Bihar. More than two dozen others who ate the food are in hospitals. The children complained as soon as they put the rice, dal (lentils) and watery potato curry … Continue reading
Contaminated Lunches Kill 22 Children in India
The children complained that the free lunch at their state school — rice, beans, potato curry and soy balls — tasted odd. The cook gave it a taste, too. Within half an hour they all began to suffer severe stomach pains followed by vomiting and diarrhea, and within hours at least 22 of the children … Continue reading
Burkina Faso: Universities Closed
The government said Monday that it was closing public universities to try to curb weeks of violent protests over the death of a student in police custody. The government has said the student, Justin Zongo, died of meningitis, but students say police mistreatment led to his death. They are demanding that the government fire top … Continue reading
Professor Van Ry 