Do you have a set of must reads which you believe should lie at the foundation/base of a college education (i.e., American college education), no matter the institution, e.g., Christian college/university, community college, engineering/tech school (e.g., Carnegie Mellon University or MIT), Ivy League, liberal arts college, state university? If so, what are they and why? Below's a recent email from a faculty friend regarding his alma mater, Harvard. it's sad but the harvard faculty could never approve anything like … [Read more...] about Must Reads for an American College Education?
academic culture
Christians and Conflict in the Academy
I'm going to try to link two current stories involving Christianity and the academy, and I'll be the first to admit that the attempt might not work. A big disclaimer: I am not an expert on either of these, so I'm going to provide some links at the bottom of the post. Today, the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the case CLS v. Martinez, in which a university and a Christian student organization disagree about who —legally speaking —has the right to belong to a student organization as a public university. Last … [Read more...] about Christians and Conflict in the Academy
Anonymity as the Way?
Do you agree with the below quotes from News Sites Rethink Anonymous Online Comments (Richard Perez-Pena. NY Times. 4/11/2010)? “Anonymity is just the way things are done. It's an accepted part of the Internet, but there's no question that people hide behind anonymity to make vile or controversial comments,” said Arianna Huffington, a founder of The Huffington Post. “I feel that this is almost like an education process. As the rules of the road are changing and the Internet is growing up, the trend is away … [Read more...] about Anonymity as the Way?
Trusting in the Lord in a Secular Workplace or Job Security in Academia
On the road to listen to* Faculty & Student/Post-Doc's at a major research university discuss Trusting in the Lord in a Secular Workplace or Job Security in Academia over lunch, description below. If you were present for the conversation, what would you share? Some of my thoughts later, gotta run. ... Proverbs 3:5 and Psalm 18:2 speak to the importance of trusting in the Lord in times of trial. The recent Veritas Forum topic on truth and academia and the tragedy at the University of Alabama-Huntsville over a … [Read more...] about Trusting in the Lord in a Secular Workplace or Job Security in Academia
Addressing Our Errors
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to hear a professor/practitioner of family medicine share how to address errors in the medical profession. Yes, the university hospital provides a unique environment for research, student-faculty-staff relationships, and connection with the world beyond the campus which it serves, but all members of the university community make mistakes (even sin). Gasp! As you journey through Lent, join me in meditating upon living out the Greatest Commandment by taking some time to consider … [Read more...] about Addressing Our Errors