At N.Y.U., Students Were Failing Organic Chemistry. Who Was to Blame? [New York Times]

The flava:

In the field of organic chemistry, Maitland Jones Jr. has a storied reputation. He taught the subject for
decades, first at Princeton and then at New York University, and wrote an influential textbook. He received awards for his teaching, as well as recognition as one of N.Y.U.’s coolest professors.

But last spring, as the campus emerged from pandemic restrictions, 82 of his 350 students signed a petition against him.

Students said the high-stakes course — notorious for ending many a dream of medical school — was too hard, blaming Dr. Jones for their poor test scores.

The professor defended his standards. But just before the start of the fall semester, university deans terminated Dr. Jones’s contract.

The article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/us/nyu-organic-chemistry-petition.html

Students demand USM replace professor for allegedly saying there are only 2 sexes [Bangor Daily News]

The flava:

Nearly two dozen graduate students at the University of Southern Maine are demanding their education professor be replaced after the professor allegedly said only two biological sexes exist.

The students said professor Christy Hammer’s remarks were inaccurate and transphobic.

After all but one student walked out of Hammer’s class on Sept. 14 in protest, they demanded a facilitated restorative justice meeting between the 22 students and their professor.

The article:

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2022/09/29/news/portland/usm-professor-two-sexes/

What Americans Don’t Understand About Teachers and Professors [The Atlantic]

 The flava:

Last week, I asked readers to tell me what people don’t get about their job. In an economy with thousands of occupations and hundreds of sectors, and where many people within the same large company have no idea what their colleagues do all day, I thought hearing from dozens of people about the reality of their work would be valuable.

I received several hundred replies—from opera singers, TV screenwriters, chefs, neuroscientists, and more. However, no category of workers wrote back more than teachers and professors. Given that education has become polarized and politicized, it makes sense that educators feel misunderstood and underappreciated.

The article:

https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/09/what-america-doesnt-understand-about-teachers-and-professors/671590/

Why college?

 

Why community college?

Why?

Professors, It’s Time to ‘Rate Your Campus Admin’ [chronicle.com]

The flava:

Peruse RateYourCampusAdmin.com, and it’s not totally clear whether the website is supposed to be
funny or serious.

“You will have the power to evaluate the performance of the senior administrators on your campus,” the home page declares. Below that are claims that the site is “fueled by experts” with “years of user experiences with higher-education administrators, condensing a wealth of knowledge about their performance and future employability.” A banner prompts people to “add your administrators here!”

The links:

https://www.chronicle.com/article/professors-its-time-to-rate-your-campus-admin

https://rateyourcampusadmin.com/

Higher Ed Must Change or Die, by Jason Wingard

"I am the president of Pennsylvania’s second-largest institution of higher education. Temple University is a public, R-1 research university in a major East Coast city with a medical school and health system. Our research portfolio has more than tripled in the last decade. You would think all of these key distinctions would help me rest easy at night. That has not been the case as of late. . . ."

        --Jason Wingard

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/08/16/higher-ed-must-change-or-die-opinion

Growing Number Of High Schoolers Are Opting Out Of Higher Education [NBC News]

 

Beyond books: The 21st century public library [CBS Sunday Morning]