Society has high expectations for the quality and efficacy of science. Research is grounded in the faithful acquisition of new insights, a process in which results have to be discussed and reproduced before they can be accepted as new knowledge. Because the acquisition of new insights in science is tied to people's social lifestyles as well as the…

The question, "Who will bankroll poetry?", succinctly embodies what is now a widespread recognition that the humanities may have more to lose in the current budget wars than either the sciences or a number of technical fields. The only budget war that can unite individuals, rather than divide them, is one arguing that too much is being…

Over the past three decades, the overall percentage of women receiving degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--known collectively as the STEM disciplines--has increased dramatically. This growth tends to mask at least three other aspects of the demographics of the science and technology workforce. Unfortunately, aggregated…

In the late 1980s, the University of Maryland Baltimore County launched a major initiative to find out why more students were not succeeding in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--known collectively as the STEM disciplines--despite the university's long-standing commitment to those fields. A review of student data revealed that the…

In this essay, the author discusses teaching science without alienating his students whom he refers to as "biblical literalists." He presents two examples of his teaching experience where he was confronted by some of his biblical-literalist students. The problem he is raising is not one of religion versus science. It is that of the biblical…

The recent strike of the Writers' Guild of America (WGA) raised an important issue for academic writers. Although their compensation and job security differ, WGA members and academics both are creators of knowledge and culture. Among academic authors, discussion about dissemination of and access to scholarly works and lamentation about…

As the coordinator of a university lecture series, the author is always on the lookout for good speakers. He thought that he had found one in Stephen Walt, a political scientist at Harvard University and the co-author of an article about the influence of the pro-Israel lobby on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. In this article, the author…

Researchers can be reluctant to work with fellow academics outside their disciplines or to engage the public in their research. Some will even hesitate to work with departmental colleagues or their own students if they perceive a disciplinary gap. Many of today's pressing social concerns, however, demand interdisciplinary solutions and benefit…

Do liberal arts colleges act like research universities when they seek to appoint new faculty members? Evidence shows that research universities bid aggressively for talent, using discretionary salary policies to achieve a diverse professoriate, appoint research stars, and fill vacancies in fields where market forces require differential salaries.…