There are many synonyms for the word "mentor": coach, guide, role model, peer advisor, and sponsor, among others. The plethora of terms would suggest that we know something about this role, but most of the research on mentoring has been conducted in business and industry rather than in education. In fact, junior and senior faculty and…

For a business-person, the argument that making a profit leads to poor "product" quality would seem silly or worse, insulting. However, this is a common assumption in higher education. Similarly, increasing productivity (a typical business goal) has never been accepted as a worthy aspiration in higher education. In traditional…

The "Diversity Scorecard" is an ongoing initiative designed to foster institutional change in higher education by helping to close the achievement gap for historically underrepresented students. The idea for the Diversity Scorecard emerged in 2001 when it became evident that equity, while valued in principle at many institutions, is not…

Higher education, the California dream for well over 2 million undergraduate students, is turning into a nightmare. The Golden State's promise of unparalleled access to community colleges and universities is fast becoming a tarnished relic of the past. And this state of affairs is occurring at a time when the demand for higher education has never…

Opportunity in this country is more and more a function of education. Education matters. Headlines tell the story. On average, the individual with an associate's degree will earn 20-to-30 percent more than the worker who only has a high school diploma. The worker with a bachelor's degree will earn 40 percent more than the high school graduate. The…