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Discomfort and safe space
Wrestling with incongruous ideas is a part of the liberal arts tradition and one of my favorite parts of college. Extraordinary learning comes from dialogue – evaluating competing claims and […]
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Inequality, empathy and the academy
This week, let’s focus on a topic that cannot seem to leave the headlines: inequality. Introduced into the popular lexicon by the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011, inequality represents […]
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The death of a college
The most important news in higher education this week comes out of rural Virginia. Sweet Briar College, a historic women’s college, announced it would close over the summer. Liberal arts […]
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Let’s talk about the SGA election turnout
I am reminded this week of the February 11, 2005 issue of The Concordian: the top headline is “STUDENT APATHY” (capitalized, I assume, for journalistic panache). The subject of the […]
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Defending liberal arts from anti-higher ed movements
The 2010’s are an exciting time to attend college. Since I enrolled at Concordia, armies of technocrats have forecast the demise of the American university. In the wake of Mark […]
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Salary-based higher ed stats may mislead
I have a passion for the quantitative. I major in math. I serve on the board of a quantitative nonprofit initiative. I review metrics for another. I get inappropriately excited […]
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Are you underestimating your student loan debt?
Pop quiz: how much money do you have in outstanding student loan debt? If you’re anything like me, that question made you flinch. I want to talk about student loans […]
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President’s audacious community college plan misses the mark
Welcome back to campus. With a new semester and a new year come new aspirations. I think I got a bit too insular with my column before. I want to […]
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Why do we need to have finals?
December is here already. Our weather is Minnesota Mean, our campus exudes Christmas spirit, and our students prepare for break. Of course, a fog hangs over campus: finals. Researchers have […]