Colleges
Why fascists hate universities
Jason Stanley (9/5/2024)
Why are US campuses facing an orgy of state repression in the ‘land of the free’? (4/30/2024)
Long-term solutions for college affordability require congressional and state action (4/9/2024)
Nearly 74,000 additional borrowers will receive loan forgiveness thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration (1/19/2024)
It is astounding to me that attaining a quality higher education is becoming a red or blue state issue Dr Liz Leininger
So here's the con so far. You must go to college because you're screwed if you don't. Costs are outrageously high, but you pay them because you have to, and because the system makes it easy to borrow massive amounts of money. The third part of the con is the worst: You can't get out of the debt. Since government lenders in particular have virtually unlimited power to collect on student debt – preying on everything from salary to income-tax returns – even running is not an option. And since most young people find themselves unable to make their full payments early on, they often find themselves perpetually paying down interest only, never touching the principal. Our billionaire president can declare bankruptcy four times, but students are the one class of citizen that may not do it even once." Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone
Indiana blocks world’s top sex research center from state funds: ‘a scary moment for academic freedom’ (2/28/2024)
Why do Republicans hate higher education? Here’s the sinister reason (2/23/2024)
US ‘university’ spreads climate lies and receives millions from rightwing donors (9/6/2023)
Conservative groups sue to block Biden plan canceling $39 billion in student loans (8/6/2023)
The “anti-intellectual attack” on higher ed will take years to undo (6/17/2023)
GOP is subverting the University of North Carolina according to AAUP. It's one of a pattern in Republican States.
Barcelona students to take mandatory climate crisis module from 2024 (11/12/2022)
Student Loan Debt Is an American Malignancy Born of Ronald Reagan (8/26/2022)
The Year That Pushed Higher Ed to the Edge (12/19/2020)
A Parent Trap? New Data Offers More Dire View of College Debt (12/24/2020)
Why authoritarian regimes attack independent universities (9/28/2021) Washington Post
Colleges, Conservatives and the Kakistocracy (9/19/2020)
The Future of College Is Online, and It’s Cheaper (5/25/2020)
The attack on universities in 2015-6 and again now is central to the Republican strategy and to the far right internationally https://t.co/CBdJV1LGGk
— Jason Stanley (@jasonintrator) July 21, 2020
Now in red states, attacks from the state legislature, the governors — people elected to serve our country — are damaging higher education and its role as a public good in a democracy. These bills are being turned out at a fever pitch and they are very damaging, not only to higher ed, but to democracy. Education in a democracy is essential. You have to educate voters; you have to have experts who can criticize the government or expose corruption. ... The bills are being drafted in right-wing think tanks funded by dark money. It’s a well-funded, well-orchestrated, decades-long campaign. It’s not just springing up out of nowhere since the language in the bills is very similar.
Irene Mulvey, president of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the organization that has long promoted the benefits of faculty tenure and intellectual freedom. By the AAUP’s count, there have been more than 50 such bills in 23 states. (6/17/2023) Vox
American students, in fact, are going to college for free right now in Germany, Iceland, France, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic, because pretty much anybody can go to college for free in those countries—and dozens of others. Student Loan Debt Is an American Malignancy Born of Ronald Reagan (8/26/2022)
"MAKE TUITION FREE AT PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. This is not a radical idea. Last year, Germany eliminated tuition because they believed that charging students $1,300 per year was discouraging Germans from going to college. Next year, Chile will do the same. Finland, Norway, Sweden and many other countries around the world also offer free college to all of their citizens. If other countries can take this action, so can the United States of America. In fact, it’s what many of our colleges and universities used to do. The University of California system offered free tuition at its schools until the 1980s. In 1965, average tuition at a four-year public university was just $243 and many of the best colleges – including the City University of New York – did not charge any tuition at all. The Sanders plan would make tuition free at public colleges and universities throughout the country." Senator Bernie Sanders
Republicans have always been more skeptical and critical of more liberal academia. Fair enough. But it’s only recently (since 2016) they’ve come to see higher education overall as a bad thing. pic.twitter.com/UWjXeNWBWl
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) July 21, 2020
Censorship has always been on the side of authoritarianism, conformity, ignorance, and the status quoFree Speech on Campus by Erwin Chemerinsky, Howard Gillman
How Harold Bloom misunderstood the fall of the humanities (10/24/2019)
The Student Vote Is Surging. So Are Efforts to Suppress It. (10/24/2019)
How Paying for College Is Changing Middle-Class Life (8/30/2019)
Student loan watchdog pens scathing rebuke of the Trump administration as he resigns in protest (8/27/2018)
Here's How Higher Education Was Destroyed in 5 Basic Steps (6/2/2018)
Republicans skeptical of colleges' impact on U.S (7/20/2017)
18 states and DC sue Betsy DeVos over delayed rules designed to protect student borrowers (7/6/2017)
Where will your degree take you? Career paths after college
American Universities Must Take a Stand (2/8/2017)
As Biden cancels (some) student debt, remember why the debt exists. A key Reagan advisor warned in 1970 that free college was producing the dangerously explosive "dynamite" of an "educated proletariat," and "we have to be selective on who we allow to go through higher education": pic.twitter.com/SWqZFRRTuN
— 🦀 Jon 🦀 Schwarz 🦀 (@schwarz) August 24, 2022
So here's the con so far. You must go to college because you're screwed if you don't. Costs are outrageously high, but you pay them because you have to, and because the system makes it easy to borrow massive amounts of money. The third part of the con is the worst: You can't get out of the debt. Since government lenders in particular have virtually unlimited power to collect on student debt – preying on everything from salary to income-tax returns – even running is not an option. And since most young people find themselves unable to make their full payments early on, they often find themselves perpetually paying down interest only, never touching the principal. Our billionaire president can declare bankruptcy four times, but students are the one class of citizen that may not do it even once." Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone
After a period of moderate calm, I see that money is flowing again to fan the flames of panic about leftist radicals on campuses again. Just like 2015–6. I’m guessing Trump’s presidential campaign is kicking into gear. pic.twitter.com/PhRDJxrK6S
— Jason Stanley (@jasonintrator) November 15, 2019
Open Education
EdX Free Courses From Harvard, MIT, Berkley
Coursera Courses on-line for Free
The University of the People offers on-line, free tuition, higher education.
MIT curriculum on-line ?
UC Berkeley is making entire video courses available on youtube.
See also the education page.
Trump wants us dumb, poor & subservient. He & Betsy DeVile Calls For End To The Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Program started by Bush https://t.co/1p4lcBCdkA
— 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐀 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞 💬 (@ProfessorAMuse) February 14, 2020
Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts
Eastern Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University
University of Connecticut Storrs, Ct
Trinity College (Hartford, CT)
OnlineCSU, the online classroom of the four Connecticut State Universities
Click here for Connecticut Community and Technical Colleges
University of Phoenix Online University of Phoenix offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, accessible online.
In the threat that follows here, @gregggonsalves makes a series of vital points about the US atmosphere surrounding universities. It's organizations strongly affiliated with the Trump administration e.g. Turning Points USA who are at the center of the attack on free speech. https://t.co/rSuqzr036L
— Jason Stanley (@jasonintrator) September 22, 2019
"In other countries in the developed world you don't have such massive student debt because you have more public support to higher education, ... And I think the plan that was proposed earlier this year in 2015 by President Obama to increase public funding to public universities and community college is exactly justified." Piketty (3/23/2015)
#60Minutes on the crushing debt by banks who love creaming you with high interest rates. #StudentDebt #StudentLoans2021 @StrikeDebt @mcbyrne
— Vegas Visions ™ (@VegasVisions) October 4, 2021
This is insanity. https://t.co/8oMslBKgSB
Professor
Watch List: A Racist Violation of Free Speech (12/9/2016)
"Democracy requires free speech, and yet free speech will lead to the end of democracy because it will enable demagogues. So this is the fundamental paradox of democracy." - @jasonintrator | Full episode here: https://t.co/0YTwGIUO5C | @yale / @randomhouse pic.twitter.com/iwXCVnEPgw
— The Open Mind (@OpenMindTV) August 8, 2019
Where To Invade Next? Slovenia (Where college is Free)
The
GOP's War on College Students (9/9/2015)
College
Has Gotten 12 Times More Expensive in One Generation (5/31/2015)
Make College Tuition Free (5/19/2015) Bernie Sanders video
Germany
offers free college tuition to U.S. and international students
(10/10/2014)
Thinking
Like Corporations is Harming American Universities (10/9/2014)
American
Elite Colleges: In a State of Complete Failure ? (9/10/2014)
Austerity
is Crap (3/29/2014)
How
America's Great University System Is Getting Destroyed (3/1/2014)
Dumbing America Down, Conservative Style (1/4/2014)
Over a Million Signatures in Support for Sen. Warren's Student Loan Bill (5/24/2013)
How the American University was killed in Five Easy Steps (8/12/2012) !!!!!
Harkin
Report on For-Profit Colleges (7/2012) Executive Summary
Higher Ed. Racket: How Kids Are Paying a Fortune for Rip-off 'Prestige' Educations (9/2/2010)
University of Phoenix, DeVry: Scams That Leave You "Dumber" and Poorer (8/30/2010)
Student Loans: The Right's Hidden Agenda (3/23/2010)Throwing away the ladder: the universities in the crisis - George Caffentzis (7/23/2005)
Academia Under Siege (3/31/2004)
Text Books
Project Gutenberg has a catalog of 19,000 books which are free to download.
FreeLoad Press offers free downloadable text books (they include advertising.) Considering the cost of text books this is a very good idea although not a particularly new one. Local libraries also offer ebooks.
TextSwap (Trade textbooks on-line.)
Open Source Textbooks in Connecticut
Issues
The Corporate Corruption of Higher Education
About academic freedom
Links
Bibliography
What Universities Owe Democracy by Ronald J. Daniels (download the free book)
Free Speech on Campus by Erwin Chemerinsky, Howard Gillman
The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe by Josh Mitchell (NYT review)
Degrees
of Inequality: How the Politics of Higher Education Sabotaged the American Dream: Suzanne Mettler
Excellent
Sheep: William Deresiewicz
Universities in the Marketplace: Derek Bok
Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and The Way to a
Meaningful Life: William Deresiewicz
The Fall of the Faculty: Benjamin Ginsberg
University Inc.: The Corporate Corruption of Higher Education: Jennifer Washburn