Here are some statistics about how bad we are!

From the UW system promotional material sent out to parents (thanks to Bill Wresch for the link)

We have the highest average class size (32). We have the highest percentage of lower division classes over 100 students, the lowest percentage of upper-division classes under 30.

We have the second lowest percentage of full-time faculty teaching classes (55%) among our peer schools (excluding Madison, Milwaukee, and the Colleges).

We do a little better with our student body, falling in the middle of the UWs, though we have the smallest percentage of students from the top 10% of their high school class.

Wow--if only our alumni giving rate were better, we'd be a pearl among universities!

UWO fails in US News ratings: faculty upset

The discussion list has been fairly active this week, as many members of the university community discuss the fact that UWO rates very poorly in the U.S. News ratings that were just released.

Most of the discussion has focused on the gimmicky nature of the survey, that gives emphasis to small class sizes (that's terrible they emphasize that!) and alumni giving (of which UWO has none).

We'll surely hear no talk about this from the administration--instead we only hear about the need to keep biggering and biggering (to borrow a line from Dr. Seuss).

It is pathetic to see a discussion about how we can game U.S. News and not address the significant academic shortcomings on our campus.

USNews.com: America's Best Colleges 2007: Universities-Master's (Midwest): Top Schools

Regents vote for big spending increases

The regents met yesterday and approved a big request to the legislature. This is not particularly surprising.

As I think about it, I find myself quite ambivalent about it. If the legislature approves the additional money for UWO, we get stuck with the ridiculous Bachelor of Applied Studies degree. It goes towards the goal of expanding the university, not alleviating any problems that we already have. It will not really address our class size problems. The students quoted don't realize that the new money won't actually help them with the issues they raise. If we get the money, all we'll hear is about how lucky and flush with resources we are!

The second issue, of course, is how deeply the legislature will cut us in the next budget cycle. The threats from republican legislators who hate the system have been flying for months. Will they decide to vote us more money? I wouldn't hold your breath!


Oshkosh Northwestern - UW Regents include $3.4 million increase for UWO in budget

Is our new class ready for college?

ACT reports that only 28% of wisconsin ACT takers are ready for college work in the four areas that they test. I wonder what the percentage for UWO is?

Journal-Sentinal graphic appended below:


JS Online: Graphic

FOXNews.com on the liberal arts

You can read the fox news "exclusive" on whether college students should focus on a profession or the liberal arts.

Most interesting data: 64% of those surveyed see college as preparing students for a specific career. This is an unfortunate lack of communication on our part.

As the liberal arts college interviewees in the article argue, college should be about learning to think and write. The specific job skills may be added on top of that, but should not be the major focus of a student's time in college!


FOXNews.com - Choosing a College: Liberal Arts vs. Professional Training - College Life | Guide | Universities

Christian groups demand right to discriminate on campus. Will racists be next?

This story has been all over the news in the last few weeks and I have been meaning to make a comment, so here it is:

Christian groups are pushing very hard to force universities to give recognition and funding to them. They want access to university facilities and money, but want to be able to restrict membership to those who believe as they do.

They argue that it is a violation of their right to free assembly not to have access to university facilities and seem to have found a judge in southern illinois that agrees with them.

They should ask themselves if this isn't a slippery slope. Will they sit idly by when a racist group decides to ask for university recognition for a group that will exclude all people of color? How about groups that exclude everyone of a different gender? Are these okay too?

The university anti-discrimination rules are meant to make campuses a welcoming place--I suppose if we want our universities to be filled with little gated, frightened communities that refuse to admit one another, as some Christian groups demand, we are headed down the right path.

St. Paul Pioneer Press | 08/11/2006 | Official apologizes for mishandling Knights of Columbus announcement

Standardized testing coming our way?

The federal panel that has been studied higher education issued its report today. It seems as though there was little agreement, except for the idea that we are unaccountable.

Many seemed to think that standardized testing would solve the problem of college standards. Since the current administration loves standardized testing for k-12, can it be long before we see legislation aimed in this direction?



Panel’s Report Urges Higher Education Shake-Up - New York Times

Profs are responsible for grade inflation, says this writer

Here is another article discussing the problems of grade inflation. He argues that we are shirking our duties by succumbing to the ease of giving lots of Bs.

He does raise the real issue of collective action, but can't provide any solution, suggesting only that we have lost public confidence because of our dropping standards.

There is a lot of truth in what Mr. Gordon has to say, but it doesn't address the real outside pressures on us from administrators and students.


The Chronicle: 8/11/2006: When B's Are Better

Survey says some are suspicious about 9-11

As the Barrett story continues to make national news, the Journal-Sentinal ran a story that reports a survey that more than 1/3 of those polled had suspicions about the U.S. government's role in the Sept. 11 attacks.

This story was matched by an a-p story (which also ran in the Northwestern) describing a few members of the group of which Barrett is a member.



JS Online:Survey says some are suspicious about 9-11

Another take on Rate my professors. com

Here is another impression about ratemyprofessors.com, as it seems to generate endless discussion about the anonymous comments.

Is it really like being a contestant on American Idol?

Inside Higher Ed :: RateMyProfessors -- or His Shoes Are Dirty

Barrett saga continues to bubble

Google aggregated a whole series of news stories about Barrett. I hadn't been paying much attention, but my earlier post about the end to the saga were clearly premature.

61 legislators have signed a letter demanding Barrett be fired and are threatening funding for the system:
(Here is one version of the story)

Not surprisingly, Bill O'Reilly is using his show to attack Barrett and the UW (Here is the link)

In some sort of e-mail campaign, Barrett challenged UW-hater Steve Nass to a debate about 9/11, which Nass called 'silly' (This link)


Madison professors respond to Fish and others:
The Capital Times

Make room for our students

The Journal Sentinal makes a plea for more money for higher education in Wisconsin. They, of course, emphazize that UW-Milwaukee should get more, but the point is well taken!



JS Online:Editorial: Make room for our students

Stanley Fish on Barrett

The NYT (reg. required) published an editorial by Stanley Fish today, arguing that both sides are incorrect in their positions about academic freedom.

He argues that the key issue is freedom to do your job without external interference--in this case objectively studying the causes of 9/11--but no freedom for prostyletizing.

Sexism in science

I really enjoyed this interview with a scientist who had a sex change operation -- from man to woman -- who discusses the casual mistreatment of women students by their instructors!

Here is the link from the sunday NYT (bugmenot.com)

Barrett saga over for now

I have a feeling the Barrett story has come to an end as of yesterday. The Provost at Madison made the proper decision (and the only one he could and still maintain any vestige of academic integrity), which was to say that he wasn't going to censor Barrett's class based on his out of class comments.

This will fade away until the next funding cycle, when the anti-UW crowd will use it to whip up support for more cuts--why not punish students and the state's future for comments of one instructor?



Wisconsin State Journal

Barrett defends his theory in Milwaukee

The journal sentinal gives play to Barrett's speech in Milwaukee, and lists a few of the reasons he thinks 9/11 was an inside job.


JS Online:Lecturer denounces critics of his 9-11 teachings

Bad Boys in College

The NYTimes (Reg. required) ran a long article in the Sunday paper about underachieving college men.

Women are generally outperforming men academically in college, while increasing their relative numbers.

The 'men are slackers' is the new cultural theme at the moment. The recent movie, "Failure to Launch" makes the same kind of argument.

I am not sure there is anything to it, but it is an interesting new angle of reporting.

At Colleges, Women Are Leaving Men in the Dust - New York Times

Barrett's letter to Doyle

Here is the text of the letter.

He lists all of his favorite conspiracy theories in his "questionaire" that accompanies the short note.

WisPolitics.com

The story gets richer -- 9/11 instructor strikes back

This story gets ever better -- the instructor wrote a sarcastic letter to Doyle -- and is going to be ever more inflammatory.

He seems to be happy with the publicity he is generating, but it is bad for the rest of us. . .

Wisconsin State Journal

Student complaints about Professors

I found this interesting site--you can read about student complaints about the "indoctrination" they received from their professors.

It contains one-sided student views from all sorts of disciplines and makes amusing reading, if you are looking for a little break!

NoIndoctrination.org