AKA Review - 10.06.2023

From SUNY Rockefeller Institute of Government

College Rankings: Perceptions, Realities, and Ideas for an Overhaul

By David Colin and Brian Backstrom

Transfer statistics bear out the difficulty students face in finding the right college. Meanwhile, vocal distain for the rankings to which students often turn is at a new high. This critical review of the history, intent, and methodology of commercial college rankings suggests how to use them rationally, and proposes customizable systems that allow students to create their own ranking formulas based on their personal priorities. With such systems, colleges could better focus on appealing to what students want rather than what USNWR thinks they need. Read this article.

From Foreign Affairs

American Universities Shouldn’t Cut All Ties With China

By L. Rafael Reif

At a time of deteriorating U.S.-China relations, this wide-ranging examination of links between the two countries’ universities argues that, as universities consider the risks involved in any international engagement, they should also consider what they risk by not collaborating with foreign partners. More international students come to the United States than to any other country, and American universities’ ability to attract the world’s best talent is a key to the United States' economic success and scientific leadership. Read this article.

From Bipartisan Policy Center
Alumni Advocacy Groups: Strategies for Administrators
By Harrington Shaw

To improve public trust in higher education, the author urges college and university leaders to build constructive relationships with the well-organized and rapidly growing number of nonprofit alumni advocacy groups focused on freedom of speech, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity. This thoughtful history and typology of the contemporary alumni movement also serves as a useful guide for engaging such groups, from those eager to work collaboratively to the adversarial. Read this article.

From Chronicle of Higher Education
Do Administrators Have Academic Freedom?
By Len Gutkin
Len Guttman examines recent and historical incidents in which university administrators, some holding faculty rank, were sanctioned for speech considered offensive or critical of their institutions—speech that, from faculty, would certainly have been protected by academic freedom. He examines conflicting and highly nuanced views about when academic freedom should protect speech by administrators, concluding that until the AAUP or the courts weigh in, these issues will remain highly ambiguous.
Read this article.

From The New York Times

The College Access Index Returns

By Dave Leonhardt

With the ban on affirmative action, both its supporters and critics now emphasize focusing on economic diversity to increase racial diversity and give credit for overcoming disadvantage. In this context, the New York Times has published the College Access Index identifying the share of Pell Grant recipients at 286 selective institutions. This summary highlights a decline at most of them and concludes that in almost all cases, a college’s Pell share is an accurate reflection of its commitment to economic diversity. Read this article.