4/22
Higher Education
The case for affirmative action with professor Cara McClellan
The Penn Carey Law professor and founding director of the Advocacy for Racial and Civil Justice Clinic shares how affirmative action benefits institutions and how the diversity it brings helps colleges and universities fulfill their educational missions.
Penn prof pens guidebook for college students
Dustin Brisson of the School of Arts & Sciences consolidated notes from his years of teaching and advising to create a guidebook for undergraduates aimed at helping them achieve success and well-being.
Damani White-Lewis studies why university faculties often lack diversity
The Penn GSE assistant professor works to identify attitudes, practices, and policies within faculty hiring structures at colleges and universities in hopes to shift attitudes and inspire new practices throughout higher ed.
Penn announces the largest one-time increase to minimum Ph.D. stipend
The University-wide minimum Ph.D. stipend will rise from $30,547 to $38,000 and goes into effect in the coming academic year.
Structured, Active, In-class Learning is changing the calculus on teaching
Mathematics professor Philip Gressman sees the comprehensive teaching approach as a way to engage students as a dynamic group, something STEM courses don’t often embrace.
Learning to be a Chief Learning Officer
The Graduate School of Education’s Chief Learning Officer program has a new director, Raghu Krishnamoorthy. The program gives working executives new skills, connections, and expertise to become scholar-practitioners.
Higher education’s role in democracy
Experts from across the University share their thoughts on how their research, departments, and centers help foster democracy.
Affirmative action in higher ed
Cara McClellan of the Law School’s Advocacy for Racial and Civil Justice Clinic explains what’s at stake in the Supreme Court case over Harvard’s affirmative action policy.
What is the impact of Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan?
A Graduate School of Education expert and faculty director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model’s take a look at the budgetary costs and distributional impact of the U.S. President’s initiative.
Career services helps students find ‘the right fit’
In a Q&A, Barbara Hewitt of Career Services explains why it’s helpful to understand industry trends, cultivate a wide skill set, and trust that the right opportunity will emerge.
In the News
The line between two- and four-year colleges is blurring
Robert M. Zemsky of the Graduate School of Education says that higher education needs to do something to make the product better, more relevant, and less costly to students.
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Colleges are putting their futures at risk
Jonathan Zimmerman of the Graduate School of Education argues that universities don’t build social justice messages to account for multiple perspectives.
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Is the SAT making a comeback? More colleges are returning to test score requirements, but effectiveness remains questioned
A 2021 study by Penn found that standardized test scores are positively correlated with family income at two times the rate of high school GPA.
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How North Idaho College’s accreditation fell under threat
Peter Eckel of the Graduate School of Education says that it’s uncommon for poor university governance to reach the point where it threatens accreditation, though dysfunction can seriously limit an institution’s ability to thrive.
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A plan to overhaul Pa.’s higher education landscape is a long time coming, but questions remain
Joni E. Finney of the Graduate School of Education says that Gov. Josh Shapiro’s efforts to tackle higher education reform in Pennsylvania are an accomplishment but fail to address the problem with Penn State’s Commonwealth campuses.
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How to depolarize your students
Sigal Ben-Porath of the Graduate School of Education says that faculty members and academic leaders can promote depolarization by encouraging constructive dialogue in and out of class, cultivating viewpoint diversity within boundaries and expanding civic spaces.
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