a final warning to high school students in the college admissions game [ Quon Howery ]

From Peter Coy's NYTimes newsletter of February 28, 2024

The flava: 

The biggest reason for the surge is the emergence of paper mills — for-profit organizations that generate bogus research for sale to people who want to be able to claim they are published scientists.  “Among large research-producing nations, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Russia and China have the highest retraction rates over the past two decades,” the journal Nature wrote in December.

The tabulation of retractions is done by Retraction Watch, a nonprofit. The database is maintained by another nonprofit, Crossref. (The database doesn’t yet reflect this high total for 2023 because cases are still being entered.)

I asked Dr. Ivan Oransky, a physician and journalist who is a co-founder of Retraction Watch, whether the surge could be temporary because the profession might be weeding out years of bad work all at once. He wrote: “I don’t expect retraction rates to drop but instead to continue to rise. We’re not at peak retraction yet.”

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/peter-coy

Academia is BROKEN! Harvard Fake Cancer Research Scandal Explained [ Pete Judo ]

 

:-)

Hatch Albuquerque Pojoaque Paguate Yates.  Buckhorn Ignacio Roswell Taos Hope Dora Artesia Yeso.  Chama Alamogordo Loving.

$1 Billion Donation Will Provide Free Tuition at a Bronx Medical School [ NYTimes ]

The flava:

The 93-year-old widow of a Wall Street financier has donated $1 billion to a Bronx medical school, the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with instructions that the gift be used to cover tuition for all students going forward.

The donor, Dr. Ruth Gottesman, is a former professor at Einstein, where she studied learning disabilities, developed a screening test and ran literacy programs. It is one of the largest charitable donations to an educational institution in the United States and most likely the largest to a medical school.

The article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/26/nyregion/albert-einstein-college-medicine-bronx-donation.html

The Real Reason College Dorms Have Gotten So Expensive [ Morning Brew ]

AI Generated Videos Just Changed Forever [ Marques Brownlee ]

Gemini's response to the following prompt: "Write a creative blog post about the most important higher education issues of 2024."

Higher Ed Rollercoaster: Buckle Up for 2024's Wild Ride

Higher education ain't for the faint of heart. Between soaring costs, evolving demographics, and debates fiercer than a late-night study session, navigating this academic adventure can feel like riding a rickety rollercoaster blindfolded. But fear not, intrepid learners! Today, we'll strap in and explore the most crucial issues shaping the higher ed landscape in 2024:

The Financial Tightrope: Remember "sticker shock"? Buckle up for "sticker scream" as costs continue their skyward journey. This leaves students juggling loans, scholarships, and ramen noodles – not exactly the recipe for academic focus. The question remains: will 2024 see innovative solutions or a financial freefall for higher education?

The Shrinking Student Sea: Traditional-age students are dwindling, forcing universities to cast wider nets. This presents exciting opportunities for non-traditional learners, but also raises concerns about equity and access. Can institutions adapt to this demographic shift without leaving anyone behind? Only time (and enrollment figures) will tell.

The DEI Tightrope Walk: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are under fire on multiple fronts. While some push for inclusive campuses, others see them as threats to tradition. This battle for hearts and minds will play out in legislatures, boardrooms, and classrooms, shaping the very character of higher education.

The Tech Tsunami: From online learning platforms to virtual reality classrooms, technology is transforming the educational experience. But will it exacerbate the digital divide or bridge it? Can institutions balance innovation with the human touch? Buckle up for a race against the ever-evolving tech landscape!

The Workforce Whirlwind: The skills needed for today's jobs are changing faster than the headlines. Can universities keep pace, equipping graduates with relevant, future-proof skills? Or will we see a mismatch between education and employment, leaving graduates adrift in a sea of uncertainty?

The Global Jigsaw Puzzle: International collaboration is vital in an interconnected world. But political tensions and funding challenges threaten to dismantle these vital partnerships. Can higher education bridge the divides and foster global understanding, or will we see increased isolation and fragmentation?

Whew, that's a lot to unpack! Remember, these are just the big hitters. Every campus, every student, will experience these issues differently. So, buckle up, future academics! 2024 promises to be a wild ride, filled with challenges, opportunities, and (hopefully) a healthy dose of learning and growth. Hold on tight, stay curious, and keep questioning!

Your Turn: What are the most pressing higher education issues of 2024 for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Let's keep the conversation rolling!

--Gemini

The EDUCAUSE Teaching and Learning Workforce in Higher Education Report - 2024

 

https://library.educause.edu/resources/2024/2/the-teaching-and-learning-workforce-in-higher-education-2024

No University Left Standing in Gaza [ The Intercept ]

https://theintercept.com/2024/02/09/deconstructed-gaza-university-education/

Life and Death at a Liberal Arts College

by P.F. Kluge  

When I came to college — there’s a room-emptying sentence fragment if I’ve ever heard one — when I showed up as a clueless, immigrant stock first in the family to enter college, kid out of northern New Jersey, we were asked — make that required — to go to dinner in a place called Peirce Hall, the college commons, and there, sitting at long tables, framed by stained glass windows portraying great works of literature, surrounded by oil portraits of dead Episcopalians who were the college’s founders and benefactors, there we confronted one of those men who — risking colleagues’ sniping irony and contending with his own inner anger — incarnated the spirit of that time, that place: Kenyon College, September 1960. . . .

The source:

https://pfkluge.com/content/essays/kampkenyon.html