There Is No Case for the Humanities

We talk about “skills,” “relevance,” “engagement,” and “values,” but deep down know the ideas behind the words are hollow.

Leadership & Governance

Letter Demands Apology for Harvard’s Mishandling of Sex-Harassment Case

Graduate students penned an open letter to the university’s president asking administrators for a commitment to combating gender inequality on campus.

Teaching

How One University Is Seeking to Shore Up the Sophomore Year

The second year can be a curricular no man’s land for students, so Ohio State University requires them to live on its campus and offers a program featuring weekly meetings with peers and professors.

Labor & Work-Life Issues

College Culture Drives Professors’ Job Satisfaction, Study Finds

Faculty members like where they work, especially those at baccalaureate institutions.

Government

A Tax on Endowments Became Law. But Congressmen and Colleges Are Still Fighting It.

A new bipartisan effort, called the Don’t Tax Higher Education Act, would repeal the levy on university endowments.

Students

In a Fight Against Depression, UCLA Relies on Technology

The university hopes to eliminate depression by the end of the century. The effort begins on its own campus, where online screenings and downloadable apps supplement in-person counseling.

The Adult Student: The Population Colleges — and the Nation — Can’t Afford to Ignore

America’s adult students have long been an afterthought in higher education. But demographic changes and economic pressures will soon require institutions to expand their horizons. This Chronicle report explores the growing imperative for colleges to support the adult-student movement.

Commentary

What’s Wrong With Required Internships? Plenty

The landscape of internships is ambiguous, unregulated, potentially exploitative, and — for many students — inaccessible. Here’s what colleges have to do before mandatory internships should be considered.

Advice

From Doctoral Study to … Assessment Careers

What to expect and how to prepare for a career in a campus assessment and evaluation office.

Lingua Franca

Changing House Style

Anne Curzan reflects on why it took her so long to enact a couple of nonsexist language guidelines at her own institution.