Education Commons^™

Method Or Madness? Inside The U.S. News & World Report College Rankings, Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] The rankings exacerbate, but are not the major cause of the increased competition in American higher education that has taken place over the last few decades. The real shame is that this competition has institutions focusing on improving the selectivity of their entering first-year classes. Institutions appear to be increasingly valued for the test scores of the students they attract, not for their value added to their students and to society.

Phd Attainment Of Graduates Of Selective Private Academic Institutions, Jeffrey A. Groen, Matthew P. Nagowski, Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] It is therefore important to understand the forces that have caused a decline in the PhD attainment rate of American college graduates. The fraction of bachelor's recipients who go on to receive PhDs nationwide is influenced by many factors, including high school graduation rates, college enrollment rates of high school graduates, college graduation rates for college enrollees, the distribution of undergraduate majors, and the academic backgrounds of college students. PhD attainment also depends upon changes in the economic rewards to pursuing PhD study relative to entering the workforce or pursuing study for other professional occupations, such as law, medicine, …

The American University: Dilemmas And Directions, Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] American research universities clearly are national treasures. Over the past decade, however, these institutions have increasingly come under attack for a wide variety of alleged sins. Further, their economic bases are increasingly being eroded because of budget problems at federal and state levels, coupled with increased demand for resources to meet competing social needs, such as health care. Thus, although American universities are national treasures, many fear they are entering a period of decline and may well prove to be an endangered species. Why are research universities being attacked, and why are their supporters in both the private and …

Introduction: Choices In Education, Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] Society has high expectations for our educational system, and social science research should contribute to helping meet these expectations. Research on the choices that participants in the system make, and on the consequences of these choices, is particularly useful and often provides information that is directly relevant to the policy debate. Thus the four chapters in this volume all address the choices, and the consequences of choices, made by students, teachers, and school administrators. They are grouped together in this book in the belief that providing them this way will increase their influence on public policy.

American Higher Education In Transition, Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] In public higher education, tuition increases in recent decades have barely offset a long-run decline in state appropriations per full-time equivalent student. State appropriations per full-time equivalent student at public higher educational institutions averaged $6,454 in fiscal year 2010; at its peak in fiscal year 1987, the comparable number (in constant dollars) was $7,993 (State Higher Education Executive Officers 2011, figure 3), translating into a decline of 19 percent over the period. Even if one leaves out the "Great Recession," real state appropriations per full-time equivalent student were still lower in fiscal year 2008 than they were 20 years …

Financial Forces And The Future Of American Higher Education, Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Michael J. Rizzo

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Recent shifts in state funding are altering the most basic realities of American higher education, from student access to faculty research.

Adam Smith Goes To College: An Economist Becomes An Academic Administrator, Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] I have conducted research and taught classes on the economics of higher education for almost 20 years. I spent the last three years as a senior central administrator and executive officer of Cornell University. ... My experiences in this position opened my eyes to the use and uselessness of economic analysis in trying to help guide a major university and what I have learned is the focus of this essay. I begin by asking whether it is useful to view universities in a utility-maximizing framework, as I and others have done in the past. I show that the way …

Are Black Colleges Producing Today's African-American Lawyers?, Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

In past years, almost all of America's black lawyers came from historically black colleges and universities because these schools were the only ones that would admit black students. Today, it appears that black colleges are producing increasingly fewer of the nation's black lawyers.

My Life And Economics, Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] Age 51 is a bit early to be writing a retrospective about one's career as an economist and one's life. This is especially true for me since I am not on track to win a Nobel Prize, to be admitted to the National Academy of Science, or even to be elected a Fellow of the Econometric Society. Nonetheless, as I write this essay during the fall of 1997, I look back on the 28 years I have spent as a PhD economist and see a record of accomplishment of which I am proud and a number of messages worth …

The Flow Of New Doctorates, Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] As noted by Bowen and Sosa, their projections of the supply side of the academic labor market, which are typical of those used in other studies, are based on a number of simplifying assumptions. Similarly, their proposed policy remedies to increase the flow of new doctorates, such as increasing financial support for graduate students and shortening the time it takes students to receive degrees, are made presenting only scanty evidence on the likely magnitude of supply responses to these changes. This essay, which draws heavily from my study (Ehrenberg 1991), reviews the academic literature and available data (from a …

The Underrepresentation Of Minority Faculty In Higher Education: Panel Discussion, John Brooks Slaughter, Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Eric Hanushek

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] The 3 July 2002 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education described the matter we are discussing today in these words: "Taken together. African-Americans and persons of Hispanic origin represent only 8 percent of full-time faculty nation-wide, and while 5 percent are African-American, half of them work at historically black institutions. The proportion of black faculty members at white institutions is 2.3 percent, virtually the same as it was 20 years ago." We are privileged to have the opportunity to explore this issue from two different perspectives. The first contends that unless major changes occur, the number of minority …

Involving Undergraduates In Research To Encourage Them To Undertake Ph.D. Study In Economics, Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] Recent evidence suggests that the growing use of part-time and full-time non-tenure-track faculty nationwide adversely influences American college students’ graduation rates (Ehrenberg and Liang Zhang, 2005). I have become concerned that the increased usage of non-tenure track faculty members also likely adversely influences the propensity of undergraduate students to go on for Ph.D.s in economics for two reasons. First, many students enter college with the expressed intent of becoming doctors or lawyers, getting an MBA, or going on for advanced degrees in the sciences or humanities. However, with the exception perhaps of the small number of high-school students who …

Higher Education In India : The Glory Of Past,The Challenges Of Today And The Road For Tomorrow, Ratnesh Dwivedi Mr

Ratnesh Dwivedi

Universal education of all children in literacy has been a recent development, not occurring in many countries until after 1850 CE. Even today, in some parts of the world, literacy rates are below 60 per cent (for example, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh). Schools, colleges and universities have not been the only methods of formal education and training. Many professions have additional training requirements, and in Europe, from the Middle Ages until recent times, the skills of a trade were not generally learnt in a classroom, but rather by serving an apprenticeship. Each generation, since the beginning of human existence, has …

His Experience: Toward A Phenomenological Understanding Of Academic Capital Formation Among Black And Latino Male Students, Shaun R. Harper, Ph.D., Collin D. Williams Jr., David Pérez Ii, Ph.D., Demetri L. Morgan

Shaun R. Harper, Ph.D.

St. John, Hu, and Fisher (2011) define academic capital formation as “social processes that build family knowledge of educational and career options and support navigation through educational systems.” The authors suggest that particular interventions, programs, and services can equip students from lower-income backgrounds and their families with knowledge of and membership in networks that ultimately help them access colleges and universities, attain postsecondary degrees, and transition into the middle class. This chapter focuses on academic capital formation among Black and Latino male students, with a particular emphasis on giving voice to their navigational experiences along various dimensions of the St. …

A Role For Policymakers In Improving The Status Of Black Male Students In U.S. Higher Education, Shaun R. Harper, Ph.D., Frank Harris Iii, Ed.D.

Shaun R. Harper, Ph.D.

Given the systemic nature of racial achievement and opportunity gaps in education and their disproportionate impact on Black men, postsecondary institutions alone cannot close them. Participation from multiple stakeholder groups is necessary. This report calls for greater involvement by federal and state policymakers, high school counselors, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, the policymaking organization for intercollegiate athletics), community–based organizations, and other groups in ongoing efforts to improve the status of Black undergraduate men. In support of this goal, this report presents policy–relevant data from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Justice, NCAA Federal Graduation Rates Database, and …

Unchallenged, Professed Core Values: Do Undergraduate Fraternity/Sorority Members Actually Benefit In The Areas Of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, And Friendship?, Larry D. Long

Larry D. Long

Fraternities and sororities promote the ideals of scholarship, leadership, service, and friendship. Little or no research, however, has demonstrated that college students who join fraternal organizations actually grow in these areas as a result of their fraternal experience. The purpose of this descriptive study was to assess the extent to which fraternity and sorority members experienced gains in the four outcome areas. The researcher analyzed the aggregate results of 15 Southeastern institutions that administered the AFA/EBI Fraternity/Sorority Assessment during the 2008/2009 academic year. The results revealed the respondents did experience gains related to the espoused values of scholarship, leadership, service, …

Invisibilities, Uncertainties, And Unexpected Surprises: The Experiences Of Transgender And Gender Non-Conforming Students, Staff, And Faculty At Colleges And Universities In Colorado (Executive Summary), Kristie L. Seelman, N. E. Walls, Kelly Costello, Karly Steffens, Kyle Inselman, Hillary Montague-Asp

Kristie L Seelman

No abstract provided.

Invisibilities, Uncertainties, And Unexpected Surprises: The Experiences Of Transgender And Gender Non-Conforming Students, Staff, And Faculty At Colleges And Universities In Colorado, Kristie L. Seelman, N. E. Walls, Kelly Costello, Karly Steffens, Kyle Inselman, Hillary Montague-Asp

Kristie L Seelman

No abstract provided.

Getting Closer: The Librarian, The Curriculum And The Office Of Sustainability, Madeleine K. Charney

Madeleine K. Charney

As teachers of critical thinking and sound reasoning, academic librarians play a vital role in supporting sustainability across the curriculum. Seasoned consolidators and distributors of information, librarians also bring a unique voice to sustainability councils and committees. The forging of partnerships between the Library and the Office of Sustainability holds great potential for strengthening the surge of sustainability in higher education. This presentation centers on survey and interview responses from librarians who are instrumental in shaping sustainability on their campuses. Article here: http://works.bepress.com/charney_madeleine/69/

Exploring Leadership Through International Education: Civic Learning Through Study Abroad In Uganda, Rebecca Hovey, Adam Weinberg, Carol Bellamy

Rebecca Hovey

Leadership education in the 21st century cannot ignore the global risks, opportunities and realities of our interconnected world; so too international education cannot avoid its responsibility to provide the knowledge and vision needed to resolve critical issues we will face as a global community. We argue that a model of international education is needed which acknowledges the diverse global community in which institutions are based and learning takes place. In linking leadership and international education, we propose an alternative approach to both based on recognition, reciprocity and responsibility toward others.

The Pc Academy Debate: Questions Not Asked, Richard E. Redding, Robert Maranto, Frederick Hess

Richard E. Redding

This is the introductory chapter for the edited book, The Politically Correct University: Problems, Scope, and Reforms, which explores the culture of political correctness in higher education. We focus on the problem of liberal political orthodoxy in teaching and scholarship and seek to understand how diversity – of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, but not of sociopolitical ideas – has become the dominant ideology in colleges and universities. The chapter provides an overview and commentary on the book’s four sections. The first section, Diagnosing the Problem, begins by providing the most current and comprehensive statistical analysis of the relative …

Black Student Leaders: The Influence Of Social Climate In Student Organizations, Cameron C. Beatty, Antonio A. Bush, Eliza E. Erxleben, Tomika L. Ferguson, Autumn T. Harrell, Wanna K. Sahachartsiri

Cameron C. Beatty, Ph.D.

The social climate of student organizations can alter a student’s perception of their influence upon the organization. This study examines Black student leaders’ perceptions of social climate of campus governing boards at a predominantly White institution (PWI). Black students’ experiences were investigated using Moos’s (1979, 1987) social climate dimensions. Implications and recommendations for student affairs professionals advising Black student leaders are detailed based on three salient themes: mission and direction, relationships, and mutual impact.

Swallowing An Elephant, Michiel E. Moll

Michiel E Moll

Predating the major higher education mergers, the Cape Technikon Library Service was faced with the incorporation of the Mowbray College of Education and Boland College of Education libraries in 2000. The actual stock of these two libraries was larger than that of the Technikon, and in addition, an institution that had a monolithic library structure was suddenly faced with coping with a more dispersed structure. Both Mowbray and Boland College (which was at Wellington, some 65 km away) were functioning libraries and the challenges were therefore to maintain functionality while changing and to keep the best from each library while …

Being The Change I Want To See In The World: Learning And Teaching From The Heart, Gloria Gordon Phd

Gloria Gordon PhD

The author draws on her professional practice as an educator/academic in a UK higher education institution to share her journey, as an African British woman, of becoming the change she wants to see in the world. She shares the process of the radical appropriation of her own unique and creative spiritual ‘I’ and the challenges she is presented with of identifying her particular path of meaning and purpose; of transcending the social construction of black and white identities; of definitive movement towards self realisation and spiritual freedom. The central thrust of the paper is the emphasis on how every individual …

One For The Crows, One For The Crackers: The Strange Career Of Public Higher Education In Houston, Texas, Amilcar Shabazz

Amilcar Shabazz

The dynamics of how the dual system of higher education in Jim Crow America emerged and operated is explored in this article in the context of the largest city in the 20th century U.S. South: Houston, Texas. The history herein moves from a pragmatic response to a deep need for postsecondary educational opportunity in the 1920s to a major expansion in the 1940s in the face of the lawsuit of Heman Sweatt to the 1960s after state-mandated segregation is officially ended.

Connecting Education, Work, And Citizenship: How Assessment Can Help, Marcia Mentkowski, Glen Rogers

Glen Rogers