Category: Education (higher ed)
-
Everybody’s Next One
This is the second column in a four-part series about COVID-19 at James Madison University. by Joe Fitzgerald JMU was a first choice for many of its students, but has a perennial reputation as Virginia’s safety school. The joke is that JMU stands for “Just Missed UVA.” The acceptance rate has been rising since the…
-
The VMI Questionnaire: Honest Inquiry or Stacked Deck?
by James A. Bacon As part of its “equity audit” at the Virginia Military Institute, the Barnes & Thornburg law firm is conducting a survey of VMI cadets, alumni, professors and staff to gauge perceptions of racism at the military academy. The stated goal is to “better understand the environment and culture of VMI as…
-
The Franchise and the Rat in the Cream
This is the first essay in a four-part series about the COVID epidemic at James Madison University. by Joe Fitzgerald The franchise. When the next friendly history of JMU is written, the booster writing it may include a chapter about the two visits by ESPN’s “Game Day” and how they helped introduce to a new…
-
The UVa School of Education Provides Exclusive Analysis for State Early Childhood Education Policy
by James C. Sherlock Sometimes thumbing through the state Budget Bill, HB1800 (Enrolled), one finds something other than what one is looking for. I was examining the Education budget, and specifically the Department of Education, Central Office Operations, Item 137, Instructional Services (18100). That is where the massive infusion of federal COVID education dollars are found. The instructional…
-
Would Someone Enroll the UVa Board in These Courses, Please?
by James A. Bacon Like most higher-ed critics, Bacon’s Rebellion conducts analysis of Virginia’s higher-ed institutions from a politically conservative perspective. Colleges and universities have mostly gotten a pass from commentators on the left wing of the political spectrum because, I would suggest, colleges and universities are almost all leftist-dominated institutions. But there are occasional…
-
VCU Bows to Reality, Proposes to Hold Tuition Flat
by James A. Bacon Miracle of miracles! Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao is proposing to keep tuition flat in the next academic year. Assuming the Board of Visitors concurs, the university will have declined to increase the cost of tuition for three years running. VCU students have among the greatest needs in the state,…
-
VCU to Study Greek Organizations. Let’s Hope This Doesn’t Go Sideways.
by James A. Bacon After a freshman died from overdrinking in a fraternity party, Virginia Commonwealth University has hired a consulting firm to investigate the university’s Greek life. The fraternity culture that led to the death of 19-year-old Adam Oakes certainly warrants looking into. But I had a sneaking suspicion as I started reading the…
-
Stars, Satellites and MOOCs
by James A. Bacon Daniel Pipes, perhaps America’s leading Middle East scholar, has spent a lifetime teaching in the ivied halls of Harvard University, but he thinks the future of higher education will look very different from the Harvard of today. He thinks the future of higher-ed is online, and he has sketched out that…
-
The Resistance Gathers: UVa Edition
This letter to University of Virginia alumni and parents appears in a change.org petition. As of 11:00 p.m., March 18, it had racked up 1,769 signatures. — JAB As students at the University of Virginia during a time of crisis, we are reaching out for alumni and parent support. Unfortunately, we are writing this letter…
-
VMI Waters Down Drum-Out Ceremony
by James A. Bacon Two Virginia Military Institute students were drummed out at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday after admitting to cheating off each other on a math assignment, according to an email disseminated by the president of VMI’s student-run Honor Court. As in the past, the entire 1,700-member student body was awakened to the beating of…
-
COVID and the Workforce
by James A. Bacon Virginians with college degrees were far less likely to be laid off during the COVID-19 epidemic, and their occupations are in highest demand during the economic upturn, concludes an analysis written by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and distributed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). “In order…
-
The Honor Code Is the Heart of the VMI Experience
by Carmen Villani Honor does not see color of skin. Honor does not see gender. Honor does not see socioeconomic status. What it does see is the “dream” of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — judging a person based upon content of his or her character. Honor is not a casual word that is tossed around…
-
Dissecting the Washington Post’s Latest Hit Job on VMI
by James A. Bacon The Washington Post needs to adopt a new motto: “We cherry pick the news so you don’t have to.” The Post, the newspaper with the largest circulation in Virginia, committed itself last year to the narrative that Virginia Military Institute is a place where African-Americans are subjected to “relentless racism.” The…
-
Racism Investigators Report Use of the N-Word at VMI
by James A. Bacon After interviews with 46 Virginia Military Institute alumni, ten members of the Board of Visitors, 14 current and past faculty members, five cadets and four parents, Barnes & Thornburg, the law firm appointed by the Northam administration to probe racism at the military academy, has identified eight individuals who said they…