21st Century Scholar

Recent days have been laden with all kinds of news items that challenge our notion of what college is. Take the news from the California legislature’s introduction of a bill that would require state-sponsored colleges and universities to accept credits from MOOCs and other alternative low-priced avenues of education. Burke Smith, the founder of Straighterline.com [...]

It is that time of year again. Monday night, after weeks of copying, and researching, and crying over brackets, the NCAA will crown its champion for 2013. The last couple of years, I have reserved my April blog to celebrate and question America’s archetypal view of just what it means to be a college. In [...]

It is that time of year when high school seniors around the country anxiously go to their mailbox, hoping for a great big package. They have probably already felt the searing sting that comes with the dreaded thin envelope that woefully announces disappointing news—“despite your impressive credentials, we had an especially talented pool of candidates [...]

I don’t want to be ignorant. I want to grow up ‘spectable. —Ragged Dick (Horatio Alger, 1866) The notion that America is a place where one can “strive and succeed” is quickly becoming a myth rather than a dream. Horatio Alger Jr. was a media star in the late 19th century that would rival J. K [...]

I remember a time in my life when I was interesting. I used to read, go the symphony, subscribe to the repertory theater, and even see an occasional film before it was released on DVD or downloaded on a personal device for a plane ride distraction. Then I had children. I am happy to report [...]

I usually reserve my time on the First Fridays to discuss news in the market of higher education (if one believes that there is a market). It is not like there is no news this month. The publishing giant Pearson announced a mega deal where it acquired higher education provider Embanet-Compass for $650 million. Embanet [...]

It is that time again when politicians say dumb things. One of the most famous came when a video was released to the media of the Republican candidate for President, Mitt Romney, speaking to wealthy contributors in Florida. In his informal conversation, he said that he couldn’t be concerned about the 47% of voters who [...]

It’s that time of year again when freshmen pour into their new homes full of hope and bright-eyed with the promise that they will learn. Their parents will pack up supplies to get them through Christmas and share that bittersweet ride home without their beloved in the backseat listening to his iPod. Everyone starts with [...]

I suppose everyone feels that the summer is always too short, that not enough got accomplished, and if I just had one more week (or two) (or three) then everything would be fine. I certainly feel that way. Nevertheless, the summer was superb. We accomplished another great strenuous hike with a bunch of friends, I’m [...]

Last month, I argued that there was no market in higher education. The rules of the sale are tightly held and severely advantage the seller. Buyers feel that they have little choice; that they are lucky to be accepted for the sale, and are often ill prepared to even consider what features of the product [...]