The reckoning of Liberty University’s notorious president and the case for better Christian higher education leadership. We must cast a new vision for Christian higher education leadership that extends far beyond what Liberty University has been so poorly offered by Falwell.
We are living in unprecedented times fraught with uncertainty and privation. Long the darling of the higher education world, American colleges and universities are at a crossroads that threaten their very survival — and perhaps the well-being of the students they labor to educate.
Read MoreFrom the introduction to the very last page of Creating a Class, Mitchell L. Stevens recognizes a socioeconomic divide in access and admission to prestigious, private, higher education institutions. Moreover, Stevens argues these conditions are socially reproduced leading to the creation and recreation of a class largely made up of educated elites. Addressing these realities among others, and acknowledging the admissions obstacles for both students and institutions, Stevens’s Creating a Class is an essential read for those interested in the modern college admissions system.
Read MoreRelationships bring levity and joy, comfort and consolation, belonging and acceptance to the human experience. This is certainly true for college students as well, according to Daniel F. Chambliss, professor of sociology at Hamilton College, and Christopher G. Takacs, a Hamilton College alumnus and sociology PhD candidate at the University of Chicago, in their book, How College Works. For Chambliss and Takacs, relationships in higher education are not secondary in their importance or impact. In their extensive research study regarding the college student experience, Chambliss and Takacs focus on the pivotal moments, decisions, and relationships of students’ college careers.
Read MoreThe problem at hand is larger and more important than the specifics of job descriptions not being completed, or graduate student learning experiences not being fulfilled through assistantships. The same students that universities woo and recruit to their graduate programs are now at severe risk of basic needs insecurity. Financial provision is presently an uncertainty for many unable to return to work due to at-risk health conditions. How will these students meet rent expenses, food expenses, and medical expenses?
Read MoreAt first glance, Ken Bain’s What the Best College Teachers Do might appear to be concerned with teaching and assessment methods alone. After reading, perhaps a more apt title would be “What the Best College Teachers Desire.” This book captures the heart behind what teachers do to construct and encourage a student desire for deep-learning. Bain’s work is driven by a search for teachers who produce these deep-learners. A helpful tool for seasoned professors and novice practitioners alike, What the Best College Teachers Do draws on what the most effective college educators understand and do well inside and outside of the classroom.
Read More
