Thoughts on Academic Freedom and the Right to Speak Your Mind on Campus

See this and this and this.  Note the disgusting, depressing spectacle of students trying to deal with professors they don't like by disrupting their classes and trying to shut them up.  Read some Voltaire, you little twits.  Free speech isn't just for people you like or agree with.  Pathetic.

Nerd News: Taking Back Higher Education?

Hmmmm:

One Professor Speaks To His University of California Peers: "Not In My Name"

UCLA law professor Stephen Bainbridge has some pithy comments in his open letter.  As Pejman Yousefzadeh notes, it's a good thing Professor Bainbridge has tenure.  Let's hear it for some actual, heterodox academic freedom.  I for one am tired of academics being blatant advocates and activists on campus.  Pursue your political hobbies on your own time, and while you're perfectly free to speak for yourself, don't you try to speak for other people who have voices of their own.

Nerd News: Adjuncts and the Devalued PhD

*Sigh.*

Nerd News: Adjuncts and University Teaching

Higher education's dirty little secret?  The existence of an entire nerd serf underclass?  Adjuncts and lecturers do a LOT of the actual teaching of undergrads in many institutions.  Here's something to think about:

... over the last three decades, the number of adjuncts employed across the country skyrocketed by 210 percent while tenure-track faculty hirings rose merely 7 percent.

Nerd Fun: Indiana Jones Fails to Get Tenure

I laughed out loud!  Read the whole thing.

Nerd News: Law Professors Argue About Tenure

Things are getting interesting!  Be sure to catch up on the smackdown by following the various links in the post.

Nerd News: 4 Things Worth Reading

Thing the First: Administrative bloat is driving up the cost of higher ed.  Well, DUH!  Edu-crats are bad news for everyone except themselves. Blurb:

Between 1993 and 2007, the number of full-time administrators per 100 students at America’s leading universities grew by 39 percent, while the number of employees engaged in teaching, research or service only grew by 18 percent.

Lileks: "Let's invent new vindictive forms of taxation for fun"

That charming humorist James Lileks has a hilarious suggestion.  It even involves tenure!

Nerd News: More on the Debating the Merits of Tenure (or Lack Thereof)

Remember this ongoing issue?  Well, more nerds pile on!  Plus the quote of the day: "While I can see decent arguments against tenure, they are nothing like so urgent as the arguments against the powers of university ‘administrators’."  YES.  My disdain for edu-crats of all stripes knows no bounds.

Nerd News: The Decline of Tenure

Here is an interesting debate: "What If College Tenure Dies?"

UPDATE 1: More here.

UPDATE 2: A thought.  There's a lot more going on in the tenure discussion that it looks.  As a nerd, I'm also struck by the thought that there are some misconceptions in the conversation, especially on the part of non-academics.  I don't have time right now to write a full-blown post about tenure and its need for reform (I do think the question of "what is tenure good for?" is a legitimate one that we should talk about).  But here's a sidenote about the forgotten: a large amount of teaching on any university campus is done by lecturers and adjuncts.  They don't have tenure nor the chance of getting it.  It's like an entire academic underclass.

Nerd News: "Tenure" the Movie Now on DVD!

Back in March of 2008, I blogged about a comedy movie project with a plot about academic tenure.

The movie is now out on DVD! Christian Toto reviewed it favorably, and the movie's official website is here.

I give you the trailer:



Oh my goodness. I watched it and laughed -- because it hits a little too close to home! Tenure is a nasty business!

Nerd News: Follow-Up on Alabama Tenure-Denial Shooting

More information is emerging about yesterday's shooting rampage at a biology faculty meeting at the University of Alabama in Huntville. Inside Higher Ed has a writeup about Amy Bishop, the biology professor who went postal. Note this too:

The three professors who were fatally shot at a meeting of the biology faculty were Gopi K. Podila, chairman of the biology department, and Maria Ragland Davis and Adriel Johnson, both associate professors in the department.

Joseph Leahy, an associate biology professor, and Stephanie Monticciolo, a staff member in the biology department. were wounded and in critical condition as of Saturday morning, and Luis Rogelio Cruz-Vera, an assistant professor of biology, was wounded but released from the hospital Saturday.

Yikes. Here is the news at the UAH website. The shooter, 42-year-old Amy Bishop, was a Harvard-educated researcher.

Nerd News: University of Alabama Faculty Member Is Denied Tenure, Goes Postal

WHAT?

Police said a female member of the UA-Huntsville faculty shot and killed three co-workers on campus.

Huntsville Police, Madison County Sheriff's department and HEMSI responded to a shooting at the UAH campus at 4:00 Friday afternoon.

The shooting happened in the Shelby Center, a math and science classroom building.

Authorities said a female faculty member during a Biology faculty meeting learned she would not receive tenure. She then pulled out a gun and started shooting.

Geek News: On Hacked Emails and Potential Scientific Fraud on Global Warming

Liar, liar, pants globe on fire?

This is a nicely reasonable observation on the potentially enormous scientific scandal regarding the hacked email accounts of global warming enthusiasts. Do read. It's also got links to the news story as it's being covered by everyone from NPR to the BBC. Inevitably, someone's already called it "Climategate" and "Global WarmingGate."

The tone of the emails is very indicative, because people in emails tend to speak their minds and not sugar-coat or whitewash or wrap everything in careful diplo-speak. (So out of all this is a life lesson and a piece of advice, dear reader: in email or in any form of written communication done in a work/study/research environment, don't write anything you don't want to be publicly read. There. That's your Public Service Announcement for the day.)

Anyhoo, this whole situation reminds me of one name I've heard given to enviro-fanatics. The word is "watermelon" -- green on the outside, but red on the inside. As in Commie, Commie agitprop, propaganda, crush-the-dissent shade of RED.

Also for the record: the sciences are NOT immune from scandal and skulduggery, as any nerd can tell you. Heck, academia and research are shot through with that sort of thing.

UPDATE 1: More here.

UPDATE 2: Three scandals altogether?

• First, a real attempt by a small group of scientists to subvert the peer-review process and suppress dissenting voices. This is at best massively unethical.
• Second, a willingness to manipulate the data to make a political case. This is certainly misconduct and possibly scientific fraud. This, if it proves true, should make these scientists subject to strong disciplinary action, even termination of their tenured positions.
• Third, what gives every appearance of an actual conspiracy to prevent data from being released as required by the Freedom of Information Acts in the US and UK. If this is proven true, that is a federal crime.

Nerd News: UK Report Suggests Merging UK, US Universities

Why? So we can all compete against overseas universities popping up in Asia. O RLY?

I find it kind of amusing that it's the UK suggesting this "merger." Because, gentle reader, every year the annual global universities rankings come out (I post on it every year), and every year GUESS WHO'S ON TOP, BABY. Yes, the hated Americans!

Reliably, American universities dominate the charts. Only 2 British universities can consistently match or surpass the US Nerd Juggernaut, and those are Oxford and Cambridge. That's the cold hard truth, as is my statement that I don't know how much longer they can keep it up. As for Oxford: I've spoken with various Oxford nerds, and they all seem to agree: the place has problems of many kinds. (Some of them arise from the culture of the place and its various exclusionary hierarchies and arcane, obsolete mental blinders. I've been to Oxford on nerd business, and I came out of there frankly so happy to be an American nerd. That's all I'm going to say.)

In general: Europe's -- and the UK's -- universities are in trouble, and we've known this for a long time. In too many cases, famous universities are coasting on their names, not on their actual current quality. (Of course, this is true in the US too.)

Remember too how many talented British scholars (both students and faculty) leave the UK to come to the States. I've told you before about the great diaspora. There already IS "cooperation" -- of a sort: UK scholars are coming here. Add too the fact that international students flock to the US more than to the UK -- something the news story admits.

A final thought: maybe schools overall would be more effective and competitive if they were -- oh, I don't know, let's say something crazy and heretical here -- focused on teaching instead of social engineering and/or political activism and/or the Unholy Grail known as "Tenure."

Nerd News: Tolerating Bad Teaching at Big Universities

Here is the blurb:

For all the talk about how research universities place an increasing value on teaching, a survey on tenure standards in political science departments finds not only that research remains dominant, but that poor teaching may be tolerated at doctoral-granting universities.

A national survey of department chairs found that superior research compensates for "mediocre teaching" at 55 percent of Ph.D. granting institutions, compared to 34 percent of master's institutions and 17 percent of bachelor's institutions.

I would say "What Fresh Hell Is This," except that is very old hell.

To be fair, though, this news article is specifically about political science departments.

My personal opinion: Research all you please, but if you can't effectively communicate and pass on knowledge to students, then WHAT'S THE FREAKING POINT OF BEING A UNIVERSITY INSTRUCTOR?

Nerd Notes and Book Review: Cross and Goldenberg's "Off-Track Profs: Nontenured Teachers in Higher Education."

This is an interesting review of a book tackling the rise (and plight) of adjunct faculty members.

Nerd Notes: Meet Mr. and Mrs. Nerd Lord

Professors marrying other professors? This happens a lot, apparently. Is this really "news"?

Look, I know of several cases where profs married their own students. Yuck! I'm not even going to talk about married profs having affairs with various and sundry campus people, graduate students, other married academics, etc.

Profs legitimately marrying other profs is an improvement on that, surely. Still, I am wicked and sarcastic, so I have a suggestion for what to call such pairings. You remember the yuppie term "DINK"s (Dual Income, No Kids)? For academic couples, perhaps we can have "TWIT"s (Two Wanting Influence and Tenure).

By the way, if you want an amusing nerd-movie that kind of, sort of has neurotic, dysfunctional prof-love in the plot, check out "Wonder Boys" (2000). Funny because it's too close to reality.

Nerd News: Tenure -- the Movie!

This could be hilarious! Inside Higher Ed is reporting that a movie will be filmed -- and its plot is about tenure:

Blowtorch Entertainment will next month begin filming on “Tenure,” which is about a college professor coming up for tenure (Luke Wilson) and facing off against a female rival who recently arrived at (fictional) Grey College. (The part of the institution will be played by Bryn Mawr College, where the movie will be shot.) David Koechner will play the professorial sidekick to the Wilson character, and the production company is planning kickoff events next year to promote the film in college towns.

Brendan McDonald, the producer, said that he viewed academe as “one of the interesting worlds to explore” and said that he viewed the project as “lampooning the tenure process.”

Hm. do you suppose the film will include all the usual egotistical maneuvering, backstabbing, gossiping, petty quarreling, campus politics, self-aggrandizement, nervous breakdowns, and nerd-versus-nerd social and political gaffes? Oh, and the often-inevitable lawsuits and complaints?