Trust in journalism has plummeted. Many Americans worry about misinformation, and a majority now think somebody, maybe even the government, should do something about it. By tracing the history and practices of The New Yorker’s renowned fact-checking department, the author explores the slipperiness of "facts." Parallels with higher ed are unavoidable. As the Right decries classroom indoctrination and demands viewpoint balance, colleges and universities would be wise to think about how to teach "the messiness of truth."Read this article
Assaults on higher education before the presidential election—End DEI! Raise endowment taxes! Depose elite college leaders!— captured media attention. But they obscured the more nuanced implications for higher education of a new Trump administration. The two articles below highlight potential benefits, as well as some pitfalls for colleges and universities.
Republicans tend to favor institution-friendly policies. Democrats emphasize protections for students and employees. Thus, consumer-focused initiatives, such as DEI and loan forgiveness, will be vulnerable in the new administration. But White House actions that cut regulations and reporting and disadvantage unions may benefit colleges and universities as employers. That said, it is too early to tell if the business benefits will outweigh the educational concerns—two university functions that are difficult to separate. Read this article
Actions of the first Trump administration and his choice of current advisors suggest funding cuts and more undermining of proven science in areas such as climate science and infectious disease research. But space exploration and technologies viewed as strategically important, such as AI and quantum science, could benefit. Overall, application will be king in an administration that knows little about and cares less for basic research. Read this article
From University World News Jimmy Carter’s underlying belief in the value of education By Beverly Lindsay As the Trump administration threatens to shutter the Department of Education, this tribute to Jimmy Carter reminds us of when the DOE began. Or more meaningfully, why. Carter’s Nobel Prize-winning role as a peacemaker and advocate for human rights is well known. Less so is how his childhood exposure to school segregation in Georgia and later his school board service shaped a fundamental belief: that quality education is a bedrock for human rights, which, in turn, create the conditions for negotiating peace. Read this article
We share this powerful essay simply because its vivid memories and prose will leave you better off for having read it. When Flanagan’s Berkeley-professor father became friend and mentor to visiting Irish poet Seamus Heaney, it forged a lifelong bond between the Flanagans and Heaneys. She reflects here on the indelible impression people we love leave on our lives—that, although "death must be squared away in the record books…there are people so well known to us, so loved, that death is one more thing that can be turned to air." Read this article
.
Follow Us
You are receiving this email because you have some relationship with a member of AKA|Strategy or you opted in at akastrategy.com.
If you'd like to unsubscribe, you can do so below.
