Accreditation is being transformed from a valued private-sector process--over which the federal government historically has exercised limited control--to a process that is subject to more and more federal involvement. The implications of this shift, profound for faculty members, can include the erosion of academic freedom and the loss of…

In the past, administrators have sometimes cited the lack of balance represented by the invitation of a college or university group or the danger that a group's invitation might violate section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as reasons for canceling or modifying otherwise legitimate invitations. In "Academic Freedom and Outside…

Examines examples of "information lockdown" by the federal government, including Executive Order 13233 issued by President George W. Bush. Considers the underlying rationale for the lockdown, its policy implications for academics and others who seek regular access to public-sector information, and its threat to democratic society. Includes a…

It has become part of the conventional wisdom that a decidedly left-wing slant influences what students are taught at elite colleges and universities in America, chiefly at Ivy League institutions. This perception has been common at least since the congressional investigations in the late 1940s into Communist Party activities in the United States,…

The contributions of Senator J. William Fulbright to public policy in the United States are examined, focusing on a lifetime of public service and the global view that he brought to American policy formation. Cultural tolerance and international cooperation are seen as the major themes dominating his public life. Excerpts of personal comments of a…

The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act seeks to expand access to postsecondary education by recognizing the changing demographics of the campus community and by increasing potential funding for crucial programs. Other major changes enacted during the reauthorization process are discussed. (MLW)

Personal rights have been targeted by the Supreme Court, executive branch, Congress, state and local governments, private pressure groups, and the public. All are looking for quick solutions to society's problems. Current threats to academic and artistic expression are substantial, but some free speech advocates are still willing to meet the…

America is a knowledge-based society. But the knowledge business has a problem. It does not know enough. When General Electric or Microsoft has a problem, it spends several percent of its revenues--perhaps billions of dollars--on research and development. It does so despite enormous demands on the resources that drive its profits. Historically, as…

The second of two reports examines a recent executive order prescribing a system for classifying information on the basis of national security concerns, criticizing it for imperiling the freedoms it means to protect, and potentially inhibiting research efforts. A National Academy of Sciences report is appended. (MSE)

On June 30, the Bush administration imposed new regulations sharply curtailing already-limited travel to Cuba. A New York Times article published on June 24 characterized the regulations as "part of a broader plan that President Bush announced last month to be tougher on President Fidel Castro and speed a transition to democracy in Cuba.…

The development of applicable affirmative action legislation and practice and the current role of the affirmative action officer are discussed. Threats to affirmative action and possible answers to those threats are identified, and specific ways by which the affirmative action officer's role might be strengthened are described. (MLW)

As several articles in the July-August 2004 issue of Academe discuss, recent patterns in state funding have hurt higher education. Although there are some signs that state budgets are beginning to recover from "the worst fiscal crisis in the last sixty years," officials still expect "an uphill battle," according to the Fiscal Survey of the States…

Secretary of Education William Bennett's proposal to link the criteria for listing accrediting agencies to student achievement and relate them to federal funding eligibility has provoked concern about the degree and wisdom of federal regulation of colleges through accreditation. (MSE)

Higher education must recognize and express its concern about a growing trend for the federal government to award funds for projects but bypass the peer review process, favoring established scholars or elite institutions and undermining the competitive process. Self-restraint within higher education and adequate funding for peer review projects…

An interview with the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) covers the relevance of his college education to his work, problems and processes of administering the NEH in a time of limited resources, peer-review, opportunities for teachers seeking NEH support, a successful summer seminar program for secondary school teachers,…