How to Prepare for a Teaching-Track Interview (opinion)
Last year, one of us, Peter, was applying for teaching positions. I was at the end of a three-year teaching postdoc at the University of British Columbia and was searching for my next step. The previous year, I’d applied to three teaching roles and secured interviews for two of them but unfortunately didn’t make the […]
How to Prevent University Trustee Overreach
A new report argues the while increasing politicization of university governing boards has contributed to the erosion of academic freedom in recent years, boards also have the potential to adopt frameworks focused on protecting institutional autonomy. “Decisions that were once guided by academic standards and institutional autonomy have become arenas for political influence and ideological […]
How One College is Encouraging Students to Fail Better
Reducing failure rates in higher education is typically a mark of student success. But Hamilton College is flipping the narrative this academic year with a new campaign that teaches students to fail and bounce back. The “failing better” campaign, led by the university’s student success division, ALEX, provides resources and support for staff to push […]
Why Students Tune Out and How to Change That
A recent report from a Harvard College Faculty of Arts and Sciences committee calls attention to two major campus concerns: First, that students frequently self-censor on controversial topics, and second, that many prioritize extracurricular commitments over academics, treating coursework as secondary. Drawing on surveys and listening sessions with students, faculty and alumni, the report found […]
How to Ensure You’ll Never Be a Chair Again (opinion/humor)
“First rule of leadership: Everything is your fault.” –from A Bug’s Life Congratulations! You have been elected or appointed or duped into serving as department chair, the role that everyone says is the hardest job on campus. Maybe that’s what attracted you to the position—you enjoy working days, nights and weekends on thorny issues that […]
How to prepare proactively for a postdoc (opinion)
During my five years working in postdoctoral affairs at two higher education institutions, current postdoctoral associates have often shared their frustrations with me. Some feel they aren’t getting the credit they deserve in their research group. Others share they feel pressured to work long hours. And in terms of relationships with their mentors, some sense […]
How to send thoughtful guest speaker invitations (opinion)
bortonia/DigitalVisionVectors/Getty Images Speaking events, such as lectures and workshops, are a mainstay of ongoing education and professional development for most workplaces. Speakers are invited to share their expertise, fill knowledge gaps and inspire an audience. Much of the guidance around these events is centered around skill development for the speaker: preparing a topic, use of […]
How Oct. 7 changed higher ed—and how to move forward now
In retrospect, perhaps it was inevitable that the horrifying Hamas attack on Israel last Oct. 7—and the escalation of horrors that ensued when Israel invaded Gaza—would light a spark on many U.S. campuses. But few could have predicted the breadth of the repercussions that would ripple out across the world of higher education. As the vigils […]
How to prepare for and protect your career against layoffs (opinion)
The long-feared enrollment cliff—the result of a projected decrease in high school graduates—is no longer a distant threat. It’s here. Across the United States, colleges and universities are grappling with declining student numbers, leading to program closures and escalating layoffs. For many faculty and staff members, such employment changes come without warning and lack transparency, […]
How to better justify intercollegiate athletics (opinion)
colematt/iStock/Getty Images Plus How can university and college presidents, and the boards that hire them, better justify the expenditures on intercollegiate athletics, particularly at the Division I level, when They are extracurricular activities that have no relation to an academic degree? They make completing certain degrees, such as engineering or biochemistry, virtually impossible due to conflicts […]