For post computer hiatus catching up, rss feeds are even more of blogger's boon than usual, even if waking up to 1000+ in the reader can be a bit daunting. Omnivore, the Book Forum blog, posts series upon series of themed and briefly annotated links. Academia is a frequent and especially welcome theme. Imagine my relief and delight to see academia on today's menu. Tweeting and sharing links on Facebook are more stopgap than permanent solution. No longer 'Calgon, Take me Away' but 'Omnivore to the Rescue' (not a bad post or series feature ~ file for future reference). Really now, everyone should go out and subscribe to the feed. Truly omni-voracious, topics range wide and far, ever to the tastes of the hungriest reading omnivore no matter how discriminating the palate...
Kenneth L. Marcus (IJCR): Academic Freedom and Political Indoctrination. An article on Ayn Rand indoctrination at American universities, sponsored by the right wing. The Tea Party has made presence felt in several community college elections, but most experts don't see it becoming a major force in the sector. A Solitary Thinker: Stanley Fish has angered many scholars by questioning others, and built a fierce mind by questioning himself. What would writing a book with Larry Flynt mean to David Eisenbach's academic career?
Academic bloggers everywhere: Blogging has moved from being a nerdish undergraduate pastime to an accepted communication medium within the academic community. In for nasty weather: Is faculty life, as it once was, officially a relic? Andrew Gelman on the "cushy life" of University of Illinois sociology professor David Rubinstein. About 100 years ago, higher education restructured to meet the needs of the industrial age; it has changed little since, even as the internet has transformed life — another revolution is needed.
Is college ready for its innovation revolution? Years after the Web disrupted business, technology is set to change education. The notion that a college degree is essentially worthless has become one of the year's most fashionable ideas, with two prominent venture capitalists (Cornell '89 and Stanford '89, by the way) leading the charge. Your so-called education: New research questions how much you really learn in college. Top colleges, largely for the elite: The admissions policies of elite colleges don't matter just to high school seniors — they're a matter of national interest. Sticker Price 101: Why can't the government make it easier to compare college costs? Wendy Brown outlines eight frightening changes that privatization will bring to higher education.
