Academe Today

Making Committee Service Count

Serving on faculty panels is often seen as a thankless task, but colleges can make it more rewarding by agreeing on goals and spreading the work fairly.

Who’s Doing What, and Who’s Getting What?

A higher-education researcher explains what some colleges are doing to remedy inequities in faculty service.

Many Departments Continue to Struggle Over Service

Fretting about faculty service has a long history, yet change is slow in coming, says a veteran English-department chair.

Government

What Reality TV Taught Trump, According to Professors Who Study It

Scholars of the genre say hosting The Apprentice taught President Trump about the power of spectacle and self-promotion.

Academic Freedom

Why Is a University’s Top Lawyer Seeking an Outspoken Professor’s Emails?

A public-records request submitted by the general counsel at the University of Oregon is raising concerns about privacy and academic freedom.

Faculty

Tenured Faculty, Are You Part of the Problem?

A new essay argues that tenured and tenure-track professors in the humanities are complicit in the exploitation of instructors further down the food chain. We want to know what you think.

Where Colleges Will Find Their Next Students

What does the future hold for enrollment and admissions? Gain insights into the latest demographics, student migration patterns, and the changing admissions field to prepare your institution for the decade ahead.

Commentary

Trustees: Pay Attention to the Mission Statement

On a college’s governing board, familiarity with that document, and sometimes a willingness to rewrite it, is crucial.

Commentary

Embracing Governance — and Efficiency

Not all faculty committees are created equal. But there are ways to make bad ones better, and to reward the efforts of the good ones.

Lingua Franca

What if the President Couldn't Read?

A functionally illiterate president would not only skip briefing papers in order to hide his inability to read them, says Lucy Ferriss. His not reading them -- and thereby never thinking critically about them -- could lead to trouble.

Counsel

Ms. Mentor Muses About Academic Meetings

The academic-advice columnist has often cast her skeptical eye on the academic committee; here are some of her pointed observations.

Vitae

On Leaving: Always Be Able to Walk Away

When the time comes to quit a nonacademic job, can you leave on your own terms?