AKA Review– September 23, 2022

From Higher Ed Dive:
The accreditation system is seriously flawed. Here’s what needs to change.
By Christopher Cross and Nancy Doorey
With the issue of student loans high on people’s minds, this article dives into the flawed accreditation system that was a driving factor in the crisis. With some accredited colleges spending more that 50 percent of their operating budgets on aggressive marketing and recruitment with others graduating less than a quarter of their students with a four-year degree in six years, the authors argue that radical change is necessary. They outline key issues with the current system while suggesting solutions to address the shortcomings. Read this article

From The Chronicle of Higher Education:
Derailed by Diversity
By Richard Thompson Ford
This article dives into the history and implications of affirmative action in higher education and how the language used in the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke Supreme Court case stipulated how universities are able to use race in admissions. The author, a law professor at Stanford University, argues that "the term ‘diversity’ has also become a lazy stand-in for any discussion of the generations of race-based exclusion and exploitation that make race-conscious hiring and college admissions necessary." Read this article

From Bloomberg:
Harvard’s Status as Wealthiest School Faces Oil-Rich Contender in the University of Texas
By Janet Lorin and Sergio Chapa
Every day, the University of Texas System earns about $6 million from a large mineral-rich swath of land it manages in the largest U.S. oil field. The UT System’s endowment is poised to surpass some of the world’s most renowned and wealthy universities. While in the short term the focus on fossil fuel extraction is a boon to the System, concerns about climate change and the shift to green energy are causing some to urge it to be even more aware of market volatility and the importance of portfolio diversification. Read this article

From The New York Times:
Despite Years of Criticism, the U.S. News College Rankings Live On
By Stephanie Saul
The US News & World Report college rankings continue to make waves after the decline of Columbia University from second to eighteenth after it decided not to submit data. The article suggests that the rankings serve more as a popularity contest among universities rather than a rating of institutional quality. As Dr. Walter Kimbrough, Interim Director of the Black Men’s Research Institute at Morehouse College says, "It shouldn’t be called best colleges — call it America’s most privileged colleges." Read this article

From MIT Technology Review:
Who watches AI watching students?
Produced by Anthony Green and Emma Cillekens with reporting from Mark Keierleber
The implementation of new AI surveillance technologies in some K-12 school districts can make students feel like big brother is watching, oftentimes without their knowledge or consent. Companies like Gaggle provide software that when installed, can track every action made by the student on their laptop, whether for school or personal use. Many argue that this is a significant invasion of privacy that could result in a stunted development of a student’s identity due to this almost panopticon-style surveillance. Listen to this podcast