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Distributed Campuses
George Mason has its largest campus in Fairfax, though it eschews the term “main campus.” It also has increasingly thriving campuses in Prince William and Arlington and various other sites. The distributed campus principle is meant to be an alternative to branch campuses. Each of the three main campuses has some distinctive programs not replicated […]
Assessing Programs
A few years ago Mason committed to a once-every-seven-year evaluation of all degree programs not assessed through an external accreditation mechanism. We’re in the season where reports are beginning to come in, which prompt some comment on the overall effort. The commitment emanated both from a sense that we owed it to ourselves to look […]
Funding
We learned last week of the legislature’s decisions about various university issues, including funding. The good news was that, among other modest categories, we received a bit of new money to expand faculty in STEM disciplines broadly construed, and through this to expand student enrollment. This is the first time we’ve had new money for […]
Regulatoriness
I’ve written before about widespread faculty concerns about excessive regulation, from requirements for sexual harassment training to safety or human subjects’ rules, with all sorts of things in between. We decided to tackle this difficult subject by getting a task force together, with faculty and support unit representatives, and holding a faculty forum. Discussions were […]
Publics and Privates
It’s widely acknowledged that the boundaries between public and private universities blur increasingly. The most obvious movement results from that steady reduction of state support in the public domain. The schools involved turn more and more to private fundraising, tuition increases, (though some differences remain in this category), and other devices long familiar to the […]
The Issue of Overregulation
Somewhat impeded by a weather-induced late opening, we went ahead this week with an open forum on issue of possible overregulation, with the task force assigned to this topic in attendance. Participants raised concerns about a few aspects of research and safety regulation, the requirements on sexual harassment training, and some accounting requirements (to take […]
College and Careers
In his speech at our fall convocation, Jim Trefil told a great story about two college roommates meeting in reunion in Chicago not too long ago. One had a distinguished career in science and science policy, the other was head of a major literature department. As they greeted and congratulated each other, they also noted […]
Hi-Tech Hi-Touch
There’s an intriguing dilemma as we think about next steps in higher education, that is too rarely recognized in planning documents (partly because it risks being too complicated). We all know that students today are more tech-savvy than ever, and their expectations about technology infrastructure mount apace. Educational planners, for their part, eagerly point to […]
Bonus Budget Blog
I think Virginia higher education faces an interesting dilemma over the next few months, in terms of policy and presentation. Might be good to get a word in early. The Commission on Higher Education is coming out strongly for new investment in Virginia’s colleges and universities, in return for more enrollment, a commitment to efficient […]
Faculty Facts
One of the tantalizing aspects of fairly regular blogging involves the topics I’d like to write about but can’t, for the sake of prudence. In this holiday season, I don’t think I’m risking real imprudence, but I’ll get a bit closer to the line than I sometimes do. The issue is Faculty Senates, particularly ours. […]
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