AKA Review - 10.20.2023

From The New York Times
I’m Going to War for Israel. Palestinians Are Not My Enemy

By Nir Avishai Cohen

You’ll read little as compelling: a major in the Israeli army stating forthrightly his duty to fight “those who unleashed a massacre on my people” while noting that “Palestinians aren’t the enemy.” It is, instead, a “Messianic religious minority” in Israel and the Islamic extremists who, in Gaza, control deadly terrorist organizations—both due a reckoning by the decent Israelis and Palestinians who wish simply to live peaceful and dignified lives. “Israelis must realize that there is no greater security asset than peace.” Read this article.

From The New York Times
Without a College Degree, Life in America is Staggeringly Shorter

By Anne Case and Angus Deaton

The U.S. is two nations, one where those with four-year degrees flourish economically, and another where the two-thirds of Americans without degrees struggle and have vastly shorter lifespans. In this regard, the U.S. has fallen precipitously behind other rich nations. Why? The authors highlight the acceptance by European nations of a greater variety of qualifications fitting different kinds of jobs and lacking “the sharp binary distinction between those with and without college degrees that is so corrosive in the U.S.” Read this article

From The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Public is Giving Up on Higher Ed

By Michael D. Smith

Higher education willfully ignores the causes of its decline in public confidence: growing loan debt but no degree; a collapse in the “wealth premium” that a degree once conferred. To increase social justice and help higher ed regain public support, the author argues, expand online learning to increase college access. Many oppose such change as a threat to our model of education. They’re right but ignore our mission: creating opportunities for students to develop their unique talents and make a difference in the world. Read this article

From The Chronicle of Higher Education
A Time to Tear Down, A Time to Build Up

By Eric Hoover

As colleges vaccilate between bold commitments to enroll more underrepresented students and fear of future lawsuits, the author parses this uncertain, post-affirmative action moment with a comprehensive look at college access data, opinions left and right, and the emotional stories of underrepresented minority students applying to college while feeling the rug has been pulled out beneath them. Two powerful ideas emerge: “You can’t talk about diversity without talking about affordability” and students themselves know at a gut level that diversity matters in education. Read this article

From The National Science Board, Science & Engineering Indicators
Academic Research & Development

By Amy Burke, Emilda B. Rivers, and Christina Freyman

This report on academic R&D from the NSF’s National Science Board is a comprehensive and valuable resource for anyone interested in higher education’s contributions to fundamental discoveries, problem-solving, and the creation of new technologies. But its key takeaways also demonstrate the importance of academic R&D as a means of workforce development and growth in the number of women and underrepresented minorities in the science & engineering workforce. Read this article