Syllabus & Readings

Week 2 (Feb. 11)

  • Topic: The status of US higher education in 21st Century – Challenges and Opportunities
  • Readings: Selingo, chapter 1-10
  • Assignment: In class, we counted off from 1-10, representing each of the chapters in the Selingo book. Your assignment for Week 2 is to write at least 5 issues or questions for discussion based on the “big ideas” from the chapter you were assigned. We will use these to structure our discussion of some of the themes we will be looking at in the rest of the course.

Week 3 (Feb 17)

Week 4 (Feb 24)

  • Topic: What is the purpose of a College Education?

The readings this week deal with multiple answers to the question about the “why” of college, with the next question, “so what does that mean for higher education”?

Selingo, J. What’s the purpose of college: A job or an education? Washington Post, 2/2/2015 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/02/02/whats-the-purpose-of-college-a-job-or-an-education/

Lagemann, E.C. and Lewis, H. (2012) pp 1-8, Introduction to What is College For? The Public Purpose of Higher Education. New York: Teachers College Press. Langemann intro

Schwartz, S. (nd) The Higher Purpose, The Times Higher Education.  https://www.timeshighereducation.com/comment/columnists/the-higher-purpose/176727.article

Journalist Resource, 8/18/2015, How higher education affects wealth by race, ethnicity. http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/education/higher-education-affects-wealth-race

Cohen, P. (2015) Racial wealth gap persists despite degree, study says. 8/16/2015, The New York Times. http://nyti.ms/1TLR53q

Deresiewicz, W. Don’t send your kid to the Ivy League: The nation’s top colleges are turning our kids into zombies. The New Republic, 7/21/2014, https://newrepublic.com/article/118747/ivy-league-schools-are-overrated-send-your-kids-elsewhere

Deresiewicz, W. Your criticism of my Ivy League takedown further proves my point. The New Republic, 8/16/2014. https://newrepublic.com/article/119090/response-new-republics-ivy-league-takedown-proves-my-point

Douthat, R. The secrets of Princeton, 4/6/2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/opinion/sunday/douthat-the-secrets-of-princeton.html

Fortino, A. The Purpose of Higher Education: To Create Prepared Minds. 6/26/2012 http://evolllution.com/opinions/the-purpose-of-higher-education-to-create-prepared-minds/

Chan, R., Brown, G.T, and Ludlow, I. (2014) What is the purpose of higher education? A comparison of institutional and students perspectives on the goals and purposes of completing a bachelor’s degree in the 21st Century. Paper presented at the annual AERA conference, 4/5/2014. http://www.academia.edu/2626994/What_is_the_purpose_of_higher_education_Comparing_student_and_institutional_perspectives_for_completing_a_bachelor’s_degree_in_the_21st_century

Week 5 (March 2)

Governance in Higher Education: What are the “moving parts” of a typical university?

When you are learning about a new sport, say an American going to a British country and trying to understand cricket, you need an explanation from someone about the role of the officials, the players and the rules of the game (both official and unofficial). The same is true of pretty much of any organization you may become a part of or have a stake in, including colleges and universities. This is not scintillating reading – but it is necessary, so do your best here as it is important, even if it is not particularly engaging. Here we will cover mostly the structural elements, with coverage of faculty and students to come in greater detail later. Most of these are short readings.

  1. For some overview, Blumenstyk, G. (2015), pp 99-124, part III in American Higher Education in Crisis?: What Everyone Needs to Know.
  2. Colleges and Organizational Structure of Universities: Governing Boards, the President, Faculty, Administration, and Staff, Students, Future Prospects. http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1859/Colleges-Universities-Organizational-Structure.html
  3. Collis, D. (2004) The paradox of scope: A challenge to the governance of higher education. Educause: Futures Forum, pp. 61-64 https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ffp0415s.pdf
  4. DeSocio, W.G. (2012) Future Trends in Higher Education Board Governance, University Business. desocio.
  5. Packet of Organizational charts from a outside and inside of CUNY and Brooklyn College (org charts show how different parts of academic organization are staffed and related to one another in terms of reporting structure). Just let these flow over you – no need to remember details. org charts

College Presidents:

  1. Bowles, K.J. (2013) The many roles (and expectations) for college presidents https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2013/07/01/many-roles-and-expectations-college-presidents-essay
  2. Cook, B.J. (2012) The American College President Study: Key Findings and Takeaways, American Council on Education. http://www.acenet.edu/the-presidency/columns-and-features/Pages/The-American-College-President-Study.aspx
  3. Information about current search for a new BC President: Advertisement, Information about the job, Search Progress reports bc pres search
  4. Two articles on quality College Presidents (to give you a sense of what people have thought makes for a good president): The Best Schools -The 20 Most Interesting College Presidents, http://www.thebestschools.org/features/most-interesting-college-presidents/
  5. The Washington Monthly – American’s Ten Most Innovative College Presidents, http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2015/features/americas_ten_most_innovative_c_1057183.php?page=allFaculty’s role in Governance/Shared governance:
    1. National Education Association, Faculty Governance in Higher Education: http://www.nea.org/home/34743.htm
    2. Rosenberg, B. (2014) Essay on a new approach to shared governance in higher education, https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/07/29/essay-new-approach-shared-governance-higher-education
    3. Shared Governance in Colleges and Universities http://facultysenate.tamu.edu/Quick_Links/Shared_Governance_in_Colleges_and_Universities.pdf

Week 6 (March 9)

Which students should go to which colleges?

Blumenstyk, G. (2015)  Part 1, Students in American Higher Education in Crisis? What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford U. Press.

Bruni, F.  (2016) Rethinking College Admissions, New York Times, 1/19/2016 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/20/opinion/rethinking-college-admissions.html?_r=2

The Mismatch argument: SAT scores, lower-income students and the benefits of attending higher-quality universities (summary of data from the Schorenstein Center, Harvard Kennedy Center)
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/education/sat-scores-low-skill-students-benefits-attending-higher-quality-universities#sthash.23ijFn8I.dpuf

Asians in higher education: Research review of the “model minority” myth (summary of article from the Schorenstein Center, Harvard Kennedy Center)
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/education/asians-higher-education-model-minority

The college completion problem – is the solution more restrictive admission or better programs to acknowledge that people arrive at college with different opportunities to develop college-ready skills?

Boatman, A. (2014), Beyond ready, aim, fire. New Solutions to old problems in College Remediation http://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/-beyond-ready-fire-aim-new-solutions-to-old-problems-in-college-remediation_085930704998.pdf , skim but please read about the CUNY START program.

Race and College Admissions:  Affirmative Action in Higher Education
The Legal Supreme Court Case Run-up  to Fisher v. Texas:

The 14th Amendment – Equal Protection Clause: http://public.getlegal.com/legal-info-center/14th-amendment-equal-protection-clause/ (a bit hard for non-attorneys, but worth reading for many reasons having to do with life in the US today – not only college admissions).

National Conference of State Legislators (2013) Affirmative Action Court Decisions http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/affirmative-action-court-decisions.aspx

Affirmative Action in university admissions, Journalists Resources, 12/9/2015 (only the first part, up to the article summaries)
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/race-society/affirmative-action-in-university-admissions-research-roundup

The Fisher v. Texas case: Originally, now and post-Scalia, Fisher v. Texas bundle supreme court bundle: 

Kahlenberg, R. D. (2015) How a new report may hasten the end of racial preferences in admissions. Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/23/2015.

Schmidt, P. (2015) What the Supreme Court will be asking as it revisits affirmative action. Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/7/15.

Supiano, B. (2015) A closer look at a comment from Justice Scalia that sparked outrage.Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/9/2015.

Hoover, E. and Kelderman, E. (2016) Antonin Scalia’s death probably won’t affect “Fisher”, but it could change the future of affirmative action. The Chronicle of Higher Eduacation, 2/14/2016.

The larger context for Affirmative Action in College Admissions:

Drake, B. (2014) Public strongly backs affirmative action programs on campus, Pew Research Center. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/04/22/public-strongly-backs-affirmative-action-programs-on-campus/

Fryer, R. G., and Loury, G.C. (2005) Affirmative Action and its Mythology http://www.nber.org/papers/w11464.pdf National Bureau of Economic Research. (longish, but double-spaced — skim for “gist”)

Race on Campus today
Times Education Supplement, Feb. 2016. discussion with NYT journalists, student activists and college administrators:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/04/us/race-on-college-campuses-live-chat.html

Civic Engagement and the value of campus diversity:
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/education/promoting-participation-diverse-democracy-college-diversity-civic-engagement

Student Activism on Campus:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/education/edlife/student-demands-an-update.html?ref=topics

Gates, H.L. (2016) Black American and the Class Divide:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/education/edlife/black-america-and-the-class-divide.html?ref=topics

Microaggressions on campus (watch the video):
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/22/us/as-diversity-increases-slights-get-subtler-but-still-sting.html

Week 7: (March 16)

It all comes down to $$ (looks like a lot but most are only 2-3 pages or less)

Blumenstyk, G. (2015) Part 2, Costs, spending and debt (43-98) in American Higher Education in Crisis?: What Everyone Needs to Know.

Links to articles on some of these components:
Costs: (not including athletics, climbing walls and new dorms):
http://www.bestvalueschools.com/understanding-the-rising-costs-of-higher-education/

One view of the reasons for the costs:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/opinion/sunday/the-real-reason-college-tuition-costs-so-much.html?_r=0

Personnel costs:
Executive Pay http://chronicle.com/interactives/executive-compensation#id=table_private_2013
Closer to home: http://nypost.com/2013/06/30/college-presidents-getting-hundreds-of-thousands-in-extra-pay-from-foundations/
Faculty and staff pay: http://data.chronicle.com/

Sources of Income for Higher Education (in addition to income from endowment and grant overhead):
Private donations: http://chronicle.com/article/Major-Private-Gifts-to-Higher/128264 (long list — just scan for gist)
Tuition: http://chronicle.com/interactives/tuition_fees

Trends in public support:
http://chronicle.com/article/from-public-good-to-private/145061

http://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/total-and-student-state-funding-and-public-enrollment-over-time

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/01/05/375222288/student-tuition-now-outweighs-state-funding-at-public-college

2015-trends-student-aid-presentation-121715 (2)

 Trends in student costs and student aid:
https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=76

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/04/13/state-funding-for-higher-education-inches-up-colleges-still-reliant-on-tuition

Or are they?
https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2016/02/22/pell-grants-already-make-college-mostly-free-essay

Student debt:
http://ticas.org/sites/default/files/pub_files/student_debt_and_the_class_of_2014_nr_0.pdf

http://ticas.org/posd/map-state-data-2015

http://chronicle.com/article/who-pays-more/145063

So what does it all mean?:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/09/07/college-calculus

Congressional interest in endowments (tax free for non-profits, both public and private):
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/10/08/house-republicans-question-university-endowment-spending-executive-compensation

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/16/congress-returns-scrutiny-wealthy-university-endowments

Lumina Foundation’s Proposed solution (a benchmark for a sliding scale of college costs, for what it’s worth): “Students should pay no more for college than the savings generated through 10% of discretionary income for 10 years and the income from working 10 hours a week while in school”
https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-events/affordability-benchmark (article)
https://www.luminafoundation.org/resources/a-benchmark-for-making-college-affordable

Week 8: March 30

Week 9: April 6

Innovation in Higher Education – Do we need it and why? What’s on the horizon and will these things solve HE’s problems, or just be passing fads? (most short articles)

  1. Do we need innovation in Higher Education?/Why do we need innovation in Higher Education?
    Blumenstyk, G. (2015) What’s ahead? Part 4 in American Higher Education in Crisis? What Everyone Needs to Know. New York: Oxford U. Press (pp 125-147)
    Brewer, D. J. and Tierney, W. G. (2011) Barriers to Innovation in US Higher Education. ch. 1 in Wildavsky, B, Kelly, A.P. and Carey, K. Reinventing Higher Education. Cambridge MA: Harvard Education Press. 11-40 wkc-Barriers to Innovation ch. 1
    Demillo, R. A. (2015) Gatekeepers no more: Colleges Must Learn a New Role. The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/Gatekeepers-No-More-Colleges/232975/
    Kirschner, A. (2012) Innovations in Higher Education? Hah! The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/Innovations-in-Higher/131424/
    Stansbury, M. (2016) Three alternative pathways primed to disrupt higher education. http://www.ecampusnews.com/entry/alternative-pathways-ed/
    Summers, L. A. (2012) What do you (really) need to know? The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/education/edlife/the-21st-century-education.html

2. The MOOC of 2016: What about alternative credentialing? Competency-based credentialing
Ruff (2016) Why do college still use grades? The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/Why-Do-Colleges-Still-Use/235536
Berrett, D. (2015) How a 40-year-old idea became Higher Education’s Next Big Thing. The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/How-a-40-Year-Old-Idea-Became/233976
Blumenstyk, G. (2015) When a degree is just the beginning, The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/When-a-Degree-Is-Just-the/232969/
Bull, B. (2015) Why Colleges Should Support Alternative Credentials. http://chronicle.com/article/Why-Colleges-Should-Support/232965
Mangan, K. (2015) Stack Those Credentials. The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/Stack-Those-Credentials/232985
Blumenstyk, G. (2015) Interview: Where Do Accreditors Fit in? The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/Interview-Where-Do/232959/
Fain, P. (2015) Groups seek to become quality reviewers of boot camps, on-line courses, and other non-college offerings, Inside Higher Education, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/03/18/groups-seek-become-quality-reviewers-boot-camps-online-courses-and-other-noncollege

 3. New ways of organizing the institution we have:
Carey, K. (2011) The Mayo Clinic of Higher Education ch. 8 in  Wildavsky, B, Kelly, A.P. and Carey, K. Reinventing Higher Education. Cambridge MA: Harvard Education Press. wkc-mayo
Selingo, J. (2015) Big idea 2015: Let’s Rethink the Bachelor’s Degree, LinkedIn Blog, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/big-idea-2015-lets-rethink-jeff-selingo
Woodhouse, K. (2016) Author discusses new book on changes in higher education (Interview with J. McGee about Breakpoint: The Changing Market Place for Higher Education. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/16/author-discusses-new-book-changes-higher-education-marketplace

Week 11: April 20

Two topics:  Freedom of Expression and College Athletics

Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression on College Campuses (mostly short articles)

 Nelson, C. Defining Academic Freedom, Inside Higher Education, 12/21/2010. https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2010/12/21/defining-academic-freedom

AACU (2006) Academic Freedom and Educational Responsibility https://www.aacu.org/about/statements/academic-freedom

Colleges Draw Hard Lines Against Calls to Restrict Speech. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/29/2016, http://chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Draw-Hard-Lines/235429

What Students think of Free Speech. The Chronicle of Higher Education,  4/3/16 http://chronicle.com/article/What-Students-Think-About-Free/235897

Schmidt, P. Speaker Beware, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 29, 2016 http://chronicle.com/article/Speaker-Beware/235428

Dorf, M. Academic Freedom in the Salaita Case, Verdict, 8/13/2014 https://verdict.justia.com/2014/08/13/academic-freedom-salaita-case

Update on Salaita situation: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/04/14/reports-circulate-american-beirut-has-blocked-permanent-appointment

Paxson, C. Letter to the Brown Community, 10/29/2013 https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/president/10-29-2013-Raymond-Kelly-talk-closed

Geller, P. http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/04/pamela-geller-to-lecture-at-brooklyn-college
http://pamelageller.com/2015/04/the-brooklyn-zoo.html/

Redden, E. Swarthmore Hillel breaks with parent organization over Israel issues, Inside Higher Ed, 3/18/15.  https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/03/18/swarthmore-hillel-breaks-parent-organization-over-israel-issues

New, J. American Flags at the center of campus controversies, Inside Higher Ed 5/4/2015  https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/05/04/american-flags-center-campus-controversies

Klein, J. and Tuchman, Letter to Chancellor Milliken and Board of Trustees from Zionist Organization of America, 2/22/2016 http://zoa.org/2016/02/10315402-letter-to-cuny-chancellor-and-board-of-trustees-jew-haters-spread-fear-at-cuny-colleges/

Messages from President Gould to the College Community about different events at BC: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/administration/president/statement_academic_boycott.php and gould bundle

College Athletics: (also mostly short articles)

Branch, T. The Shame of College Sports, Atlantic Monthly, Octo, 2011. (a bit long but a good intro to the issues)  http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-shame-of-college-sports/308643/

NCAA Reaches $8.8 Billion Broadcast Deal,  Inside Higher Ed, 4/13/2016. https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/04/13/ncaa-reaches-88-billion-broadcast-deal#.Vw93zqSeYNM.mailto

Weissman, J. The Outrageous 5-year rise of college sports spending. Atlantic Monthly, 1/17/2013. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/01/the-outrageous-5-year-rise-of-college-sports-spending/267287/

Nocera, J. A smart way to start paying college athletes, New York Times, 1/9/2016.http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/09/sports/a-way-to-start-paying-college-athletes.html?_r=0

Chudacoff, H.P.  Let’s not pay college althletes, Wall Street Journal, 3/28/16 http://on.wsj.com/1qr9CVP

Yankah, E. N. Why NCAA athletes shouldn’t be paid. Atlantic Monthly. 10/14/2015. http://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/why-ncaa-athletes-shouldnt-be-paid

Newman, J. Coaches, not presidents, top public-college pay list. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 5/16/2014, http://chronicle.com/blogs/data/2014/05/16/coaches-not-presidents-top-public-college-pay-list/

Gillespie, N. Yes, college athletes should be paid but not by students and tax payers. Reason. 1/12/2016  http://reason.com/blog/2016/01/12/yes-college-athletes-should-be-paid-but

New, J. Racial gaps in the Big 5. Inside Higher Ed. 3/16/2016. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/03/16/black-athletes-wealthiest-conferences-continue-graduate-low-rates#.Vw94GsnXWq4.mailto

Sack, A. and Gurney, N. Excessive and exploitative demands. Inside Higher Ed, 3/22/2016. https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2016/03/22/college-athletes-must-spend-unreasonable-amount-time-their-sports-essay#.Vw935yzcYmA.mailto

New, J. I need my brain. Inside Higher Ed, 5/28/2015. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/05/18/wary-concussions-college-athletes-choose-early-retirement#.VVm-EcpOf5s.mailto