Two Articles of Interest in Today's
George Washington University
Hatchet
The ego being what it is, let's start with this one, which talks about GW professors who blog:
"I was struck by things at universities that seemed to be operating wrong," said Soltan, who receives about 700 visitors a day to her blog. "And I wanted to think of ways that I could contribute to make American universities better."
Since creating her blog, Soltan said she has received increased attention from media outlets such as The Washington Post, the Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed. Soltan was recently quoted on the front page of The Post in an article about sexuality in U.S. Senate candidate Jim Webb's novels.
"These things would simply not have happened without the blog," said Soltan, referring to her appearances in the media. "And I think starting a blog was one of the best decisions I've ever made."
Assistant Director of Media Relations Matt Lindsay, who is often called by news organizations looking to speak with GW professors, said that blogs sometimes help him isolate professors who are comfortable voicing their opinions with large audiences.
"Faculty members who think they have an opinion that's worthy and valid that they want to share with the outside world ... are more likely to have a blog," Lindsay said.
Scott Jaschik, editor of the online magazine Inside Higher Ed, said that academic bloggers often receive a lot of attention because they naturally prompt discussion.
"In higher education and politics and law, part of what you're trying to do is attract attention, shape debate and make a name for yourself," Jaschik said. "These are fields where debate is part of the action, so (blogs) allow people who might not otherwise be having a national audience to have one."
Several professors said that students read their blogs, and this promotes insightful discussion outside of class.
"I've gotten to know my students much better just by seeing their comments on my blog," Soltan said.
The article features a couple of other GW edubloggers, and has sensible things to say.
Then there's this headline:
OFFICIALS SAY CNN RANKING
OF GW'S TUITION AS HIGHEST
IN COUNTRY IS MISLEADING
The article goes on to note that GW's fixed-tuition approach means that over four years GW students may pay less than others who will deal with yearly rises in tuition. Even granting this, however, GW's tuition is extremely high relative to almost all other colleges and universities. The real question involves quality; and as long as GW is over-dependent on part-timers, for instance, that question remains somewhat open. I've watched GW's general quality rise dramatically over a couple of decades; but when you charge that much, it makes you vulnerable to the very highest expectations.
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