Dr Flavius Akerele III's The E Team Education blog

We hear many stories about minority youths (I dislike this term, but is a point of reference) struggling to make it out of high school and into college. We hear a lot of negative, how the deck is stacked against them, and that they have no chance. “Shaun Harper -- director of the Study of Race and Equity in Education at the University of Pennsylvania -- attracted considerable attention last year for a study in which he identified successful black male college students and examined the factors that led to their success. This new study is in a way the flip side of that research -- as his focus was on students in New York City high schools who could succeed in college (although he also included a group of New York City high school graduates who were in college for comparison purposes)”. “An overall theme of the work is that there are many minority male students who are succeeding academically, but are doing so off the beaten track of colleges to magnet schools or the suburbs”. R...

“Tufts U. Adjuncts Vote to Unionize in Regional Campaign's First Victory” “Adjunct faculty members at Tufts University have voted to unionize with the Service Employees International Union, marking the national union's first victory in a campaign to organize adjuncts across the Boston area and push institutions to improve their working conditions”. “The 128-to-57 vote at Tufts, announced after ballots were tallied on Thursday, precedes an October 4 ballot count for adjuncts at Bentley University, who are also voting on whether to unionize with the SEIU as part of the Adjunct Action campaign”. Read all here: http://chronicle.com/article/Tufts-U-Adjuncts-Vote-to/141937/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en This is something to watch as it could have far reaching affects for all adjuncts in higher education. I found this article a little sad, but it is an aspect of education we do not often think of: “Why your waiter has an M.D.” “The National Resident Matchi...

I have blogged about poverty a few times this year, and I am still convinced that the way we look at and treat those who are struggling is a societal education problem. There are people I know who currently are collecting unemployment, and have been for a while due to circumstances beyond their control. They depend on it because that is all they have for right now, having gone through their savings, 401K, etc. Just after Labor Day this year of 2013, the California Employment Development Department (EDD) stopped sending checks; without notice. These people I know, and I am sure many other Californians were suddenly facing a worse situation than they were already in. The worst part is they were never told why they were cut off, until a news story today. “California agency ordered to issue delayed unemployment checks” “The state's top labor official ordered the Employment Development Department to immediately issue payments to 124,000 Californians whose benefit checks have...

This one is a continuing story from yesterday’s blob: “Can a President Be His Own Whistleblower?” “Evan Dobelle, president of Westfield State University, is under fire for what Massachusetts officials consider to be extravagant or inappropriate spending. The Republican quoted sources saying that Dobelle is exploring the idea of using the state's whistleblower protection law to protect himself. The theory is that since he self-reported some of the questionable spending, he is a whistleblower. A spokeswoman for the university said she didn't know of any legal strategy being considered. But the newspaper noted that Dobelle has of late been telling people "I self-reported."” Read here: http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/09/25/can-president-be-his-own-whistleblower Some good news: “MBA Applications On the Rise” “Applications to American M.B.A. programs are again on the rise, according to a report by the Graduate Management Admission Council. ...

Everyone deserves a second chance in the professional world because hopefully we learn and grow from our mistakes. If someone gets fired from an institution, that should not mean they can never be hired someplace else again. However, Albert Einstein wisely said “ Insanity: is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. “Hired Again, in Trouble Again” “Less than a decade after Evan Dobelle departed the University of Hawaii system presidency amid accusations he had misspent money, lied and been unfit to lead, he is back in hot water as president of Westfield State University in Massachusetts”. “In a series of revelations, Dobelle has been accused – as he was at Hawaii – of spending university money extravagantly and, at times, on himself and his family”. “Dobelle’s tenure at Westfield – Dobelle’s fifth college presidency – is now becoming tainted by a series of revelations about his spending habits there and demands for accountability from a g...

I have recently blogged about segregation in Alabama’s Greek sorority system, and of course sexual assault. There are articles posted this morning about changes that are being implemented in certain institutions, and I have no doubt it is because of the scrutiny the public at large has placed upon these issues. Just remember, the compromises that are being offered by the institutions are not a permanent solution so keep watching. “4 Black Women Will Join Alabama Sororities” “The University of Alabama at Tusaloosa announced Friday that four black women and two other minority women will be joining the university's all-white sororities. The university has been engaged in an intense debate (and been subject to national criticism) following an article in the student newspaper about how black women have been rejected by the sororities -- sometimes at the behest of alumnae. The university first announced that sororities had agreed to a new system in which they could extend "bi...

National University (NU), one of the country’s larger private university systems, has gone through some huge changes this year. In May 2013, the Interim President (since 2009) MS. Patricia Potter retired and was replaced by Dr Michael Cunningham, formerly a Dean at SDSU. The biggest change has been the retirement of Dr Jerry Lee, who has led the system in one form or fashion for the last 24 years. No replacement has been announced as of yet.   Why is this important you say? NU is one of the bigger and more stable players in the non-traditional market, so any change there is worth paying attention to. Dr Flavius A B Akerele III The ETeam   References http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/May/29/tp-national-u-names-new-president/ http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/09/20/chancellor-who-built-national-u-system-retires

There are a number of negative articles and stories circulating right now that involve or affect education, for example: segregation of the Greek system in Alabama “ It's Not Just Alabama” , the life of adjunct professors “ An Adjunct's Death Becomes a Rallying Cry for Many in Academe ”, and campus sexual assault issues “ Occidental Settles Suits on Handling of Sex Assaults ” . There seems to be a pattern here; one that is not so obvious yet, it stares us in the face regularly. We do not value each other the way we should, and we are highly guilty of it in education as well. It is not that we are not celebrating the successes, but that there is so much fodder for our failures out there for people to write about. We should be ashamed, and not just an “oh we are really trying” kind of shame, but the kind of shame that spurs us to action, to do better.   Action is something this country does very well when it wants to. United States has a history of achieving whatever we...

A Bachelors degree in the United States generally gives you a broad spectrum of knowledge for the most part (depending on major), it is generally not until a master’s program do students gain those specific skills desired by companies (we hope they anyway). An interesting article today: “Broad Education vs. Industry-Specific Skills” “A large majority of the American public and nearly three-quarters of business leaders say it is more important for job candidates to be well-rounded with a range of abilities than to have industry-specific skills, two new national surveys released Tuesday show”. “A July survey of 263 hiring managers and an August poll of 1,000 American adults conducted by FTI Consulting on behalf of Northeastern University show that majorities of the public and business leaders value broadly applicable skills like written communication and problem-solving over specific skills obtained through applied training”. “Still, the poll found that Americans overwhelmi...

There have been some interesting articles in the past few days about the University of Alabama’s sorority system. “ Cracking the Door Open?” “Fifty years after the notorious "stand in the schoolhouse door" to keep black students out of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, the president of the institution is trying to get sororities to open their doors”. President Judy Bonner met with the leaders of the various chapters, and has ordered them to all use a rush system that could allow them to quickly admit some black members, a spokeswoman confirmed Monday night”. Read the rest: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/17/alabama-president-tells-sororities-they-must-create-new-chance-black-women-rush This is a reactive response rather than having a proactive practice, but not atypical. I also found a well-written article that concisely describes some of the history, past, and present of the segregated Greek system: “The History Behind Segregation in Greek ...

There have been a few disturbing things that have happened this week, and I hope this is not a signal for the week to come. Let us start with the emerging events in Washington DC:   “ Developing: Shooting At U.S. Navy Yard In Washington, D.C.” http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/09/16/223023740/developing-shooting-at-u-s-navy-yard-in-washington-d-c We hope for the best. This one just shows how social media can be used by the ignorant and that we still have a long way to go with truly being a “melting pot” country: “A Lot Of People Are Very Upset That An Indian-American Woman Won The Miss America Pageant” http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/a-lot-of-people-are-very-upset-that-an-indian-american-woman Let us just say this was not our finest hour; read the comments yourself.   Higher education should be better than this! “ Student Regent Wants to Debate Policy, Not Her Muslim Faith” “Sometimes I get asked ridiculous questions, like whether I su...

In the news today: “Alleged Rapist on the Roster” “Under National Collegiate Athletic Association rules, most football or men’s basketball players competing in a Division I program may transfer at will, but must sit out the first season at the new institution, while they "adjust to their new school and ensure that their transfer was motivated by academics as well as athletics."” Read the rest: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/13/vanderbilt-athlete-arrested-alleged-rape-played-saturday-alcorn-state   “Student Arrested for Trying to Poison Pregnant Professor” “A student at Virginia College’s Augusta, Ga., campus has been arrested for allegedly giving her pregnant professor a tainted snack cake. Diane Ambrose was charged with reckless conduct after offering her professor a sealed cake she had injected with a foreign substance through the wrapper, WRDW-TV reported. The Richmond County Sheriff's Office says the 12-week-pregnant professor developed a ...

I am the proud father of two rapidly growing and big eating elementary school students.   My wife and I always take the time to pack a good hearty and healthy lunch for them, and for the most part they eat it all: emphasis on for the most part (more to come). As a former middle school teacher, I remember clearly never having enough time to enjoy my lunch, and as a result, my lunches often were either fast food of some kind, or I ate later during my planning period if I could. It took having my own kids to realize that the kids often do not have enough time to eat their lunches completely as well.   Back to the “for the most part”. I noticed sometimes that my kids lunches were only partially eaten when they came home and I knew that it was not due to them not liking their food (they eat anything we give them). On top of that, they would often start wolfing down snacks when they came home, before dinner, and still eat a healthy dinner. After doing some investigation...

I want to start by sharing an article I read to today titled: “ Colleges' Role Shouldn't End at Graduation” here are some relevant excerpts to my article today: “Despite this trend, many colleges continue to think that the bulk of their work is focused on just one moment in their students' lives, typically starting when they are 18 years old and ending when they are 22. During that time, institutions still treat them as they always have, welcoming them for orientation and wishing them well at commencement and saying, "Our work is done."” “Colleges could offer their recent graduates opportunities to study or work in internships abroad. Employers say they value a global perspective in job applicants, yet only 9 percent of American undergraduates studied overseas in 2010-11, according to the Institute of International Education. There are many reasons why more students don't go abroad, but a crowded undergraduate curriculum and extracurricular schedule ...

“Early Bird Catches the Counselor” “For several years now, most counseling centers have been experiencing a continuous uptick in the number of students seeking services , as stigma over mental health issues lessens and more and more students come to college already on psychotropic medications”. “But as September gets under way, many center directors say they’re seeing an even greater surge of walk-ins and appointments being made at the start of the academic year, with students making contact with counselors before they even leave for campus”. Read the rest: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/10/some-counselors-struggle-meet-demand-school-even-starts All I can say is good luck counselors!   This next one made me smile because it is always the little things in life… “It's the Little Things That Count in Teaching” “Attention to the less 'serious' aspects can make you a more effective instructor”.   “Line up course readings. Plan the syllabus....

A sense of humor is a necessary part of surviving as an educator, no matter what level you work in, so when I see some very humorous things happening, I feel I must share. “Fake Professor, Real Course” “As the first meeting for Chemistry 131 started at the University of Rochester this semester, the instructor walked to the front of the lecture hall, and started in with some introductory remarks and rules”. “And the students became somewhat petrified. The instructor told them that the course was "extremely hard," and that 55 percent of last year's students failed last year. He predicted that many of this year's students would have their pre-med dreams derailed. Further, he said that not only cell phones but also laptops were banned from class. Violations would result in "repercussions" for grades, the instructor warned. (And video footage shows a bunch of students rushing to close and store their laptops.)” “Then, another professor walked in, askin...

College students and college professors have often said or done stupid/silly things in public. Sometimes it gets written off as academic freedom, freedom of speech, or just plain old college antics. However, with today’s technology, and peoples proclivity to film and broadcast things instantly, everyone must beware of the forever video. Case in point: “Didn't Mean to Offend...” “An eight-minute segment apparently captured by a student (and embedded below) contained remarks that university administrators say crossed the line between free speech and disrespect, and may have “negatively affected the learning environment.”” Read the whole thing here: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/06/michigan-state-suspends-professor-teaching-following-anti-republican-remarks Not sure what he was trying to teach, but I know at least one student learned to have their video camera at the ready. All I can say about this next one is: really? “Saint Mary's University frosh c...