Where are my manners? Forgot to tag @bakerdphd.bsky.social for her terrific new column.

It would appear I am now a columnist at Inside Higher Ed. My first piece focuses on McCarthyism, censorship, and our current moment in higher education. This is an essay I started nearly 6 months ago so I'm glad to finally share it with y'all. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

Excellent piece by my new IHE colleague Dominique J. Baker on the Red Scare in higher education. Worth the read. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

Another thoughtful column by @deandad.bsky.social . When he observes "...that many policymakers see community colleges as workforce training centers and nothing else," we should note that many officials see all of higher ed this way. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

I think this is what Gen Z has in mind when they complain that the economy is rigged. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

Conversely, there are ppl who were right all along and were completely ignored.

Even if you think the odds of this happening have risen from 1% to say 20%, this is *insane* on a level that's hard to process.

I was actually kind of impressed that Sabrina Carpenter used part of Pat Metheny's "Phase Dance" as the intro to "Juno." If you're gonna steal, steal from the best.

On Cory Doctorow's book Enshittification: "He doesn't frame it as such, but the book is an excellent example of the liberal arts in action." www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

In the grand scheme of a creative career of any kind, the whole “being a decent human” part and the “do the work” part are more important than all the talent/skill in the world. Those are the things that lead to not only career longevity, but a decent shot at yanno, possibly feeling some happiness.

Penny, in the holiday spirit

So you’re telling me that when your country welcomes talented people from around the globe, and brings them together in world-class universities, they make discoveries that save lives? Interesting. UM researchers make breakthrough to treat form of leukemia www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...

Matt Reed describes one accreditor meeting reacting to a hard year for higher ed: www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

Random thoughts on a muzzy headed sick day: Ppl by and large resent folks with cultural capital (“coastal elites”/“professors” etc) a lot more than they do ppl with actual capital, in part bc

Eric Foner, in Second Founding (2019), notes that the only exclusions discussed in the congressional debates on the 14th Amendment citizenship language were newborns in independent Indian nations and those of foreign diplomats, exactly consistent with the traditional understanding of the Amendment

"Somehow, after work, I never quite feel like curling up with some Adorno. Can't imagine why." www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

I am thinking about the newest piece by @deandad.bsky.social this morning and how music (as an academic discipline) might fit into the “wicked problem.” Since most people enter music study from a performance standpoint (no 13-year-old wants to be a theorist; they like performing)…

Penny found the garland.

Imagine if they had donated $6B to providing meals, healthcare, or literally anything else a child might urgently need.

It costs nothing for you to share this For every $1 donated to your local food pantry, 10 meals will be served to families in need this holiday season #GivingTuesday

Gen Z is spending more on essentials than previous generations, yet their wages aren't keeping up. It's no wonder they aren't "spending like retailers need them to." When 70% of the economy depends on consumer spending, people need money to spend. It's as simple as that.

Thread

Had a blast seeing @thebeths.bsky.social with The Boy just outside Pittsburgh last night. If you haven't seen them live, you're missing out! Great songs, tight playing, positive vibes all around.

This is true. It is the best email I got this year.

"To the extent that some people demonize higher education as “liberal” or “leftist,” this is the core of the accusation: Exposure to new people may change whom they trust." www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

Really important to stress that the Crown Jewels of the US higher education system were never the Ivies or elite SLACs (other countries have equivalents of these) but the well-funded, large, cheap, and excellently staffed public state university systems bringing high quality education to the masses.

Whoa whoa whoa whoa What do you mean “too many books” I’m not familiar with this unit of measurement

Almost a year now since I received this absolutely classic burn from the Canadian government.

A rly interesting case study, as pols prepare to fight over a similar policy for NYC's much bigger bus network. By @carabuckley.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/c...

This headline should not exist. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...

This thoughtful @deandad.bsky.social column asks an important question: when funds are tight, how do you figure out which hiring requests to approve and which ones to regrettably reject? Individual value-added in K-12 education is tough, but it's virtually impossible in higher ed.

From my niece.

This should be on a plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty.

This is excellent. I could imagine it making an outstanding writing prompt, and I mean that as a compliment. Highly recommended. blog.apaonline.org/2025/11/12/t...

No No No No No No No

My friend Lane Glenn hits this one out of the park. www.ccdaily.com/2025/11/youv...

Tell me you don’t understand risk pools without telling me you don’t understand risk pools

Offering students the long view www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

sometimes an Oxford comma can make all the difference

Tech people think we want AI, robots, and a colony on Mars but what I actually want is a home printer that simply works.

it’s not only a recipe for corruption, it’s a talent issue - we lose a ton of talented folks who would do fantastic work in public service to the private sector because of the salary delta, which most people don’t have family money to make up for these are important jobs that should pay well

The return of Friday Fragments, featuring reader responses, an appreciative review of @llassabe.bsky.social 's book, and some deeply nerdy literary bonding with The Girl. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

"Europeans recognize his vision about free public transit and universal childcare. We expect our governments to make these kinds of services accessible to all of us,” said Verbeek. “We pay higher taxes and get civilized societies in return."

To put this in scale, Elon Musk's salary from Tesla alone could fund the SNAP program for the entire country into 2034.

"If you shrink your profit centers and grow your loss centers, what do you think is going to happen?" www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

woke up this morning and i don't know how to describe it, but i feel awake! full of vim and vigor! all those changes i've been making must finally be paying off. now to take a hot sip of coffee and check the time on the microwave,

Saddened to hear about Jack DeJohnette's passing. He was a towering figure in late-century jazz, having played with nearly everybody. This is one of my favorites of his, with Keith Jarrett's "standards"trio. Worth the time. He always was. youtu.be/n31jaGy7hmk?...

Today's column features references to the Old Testament, Kant's categorical imperative, and Wonder Bread. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

Next time an institution tells you how seriously it takes research misconduct, ask them if it's *this* seriously. www.bmj.com/content/297/...

“Virtue signaling” has been an all-purpose tool to invalidate any form of advocacy which isn’t centered around selfishness.