Death knell for English majors?

It seems like there's not much good news for the humanities. Here's one of the more pessimistic pieces from Eric Hayot, writing in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Notice I said pessimistic, not inaccurate. Still, there's a lot to be said for graduates who can write and communicate effectively while displaying some degree of empathy.

The Humanities as We Know Them Are Doomed. Now What?

Let me put it more plainly: At many, many of the colleges where we work, the number of humanities degrees awarded has dropped precipitously. In 2015 about 9,300 fewer English majors graduated from the colleges in the MLA study than in an average year from 2000 to 2010. The recent and rapid decline in the number of majors suggests that the humanities have become disconnected from the general ups and downs of university funding, resulting in a second shock, in which the enrollment drops are extending and solidifying the effects of the 2008-15 period. (Preliminary data recently released from the NCES suggest the situation continues to deteriorate. According to analysis by Northeastern’s Benjamin Schmidt, the number of English B.A.s awarded fell by 10 percent from 2015 to 2017.) 

When an English department goes from 414 majors in 2005 to 155 in 2015 (as did the University of Illinois at Urbana-­Champaign’s), or from 126 to 55 (as did Harvard’s), what department head can justify increasing the size of the tenure-line faculty? On what grounds can we even argue for hiring replacements for our retiring colleagues? And if departments reduce their hiring, instead of bringing it back to previously normal levels (which were already not enough to employ all the graduating Ph.D.s on the tenure track), what will happen to our graduate students? 

To make things worse: In this new situation we will not have the same allies we had before (during the financial crises of 2001 and 2008). Enrollments in business, in science, and in some of the social sciences seem to be increasing. (At Penn State, the department of economics graduated twice as many students in 2015 as it did in 2009.) The humanities are institutionally more alone and more vulnerable than they have ever been, more at the mercy of a university’s financial decisions or a new dean’s desire to prove his or her toughness by consolidating departments or reducing faculty size. 

To my colleagues involved in Ph.D. programs, I say something simple and hard: Unless you are placing most of your students in the professorial jobs for which you are training them, you need to rethink what you are doing. We cannot go on allowing ourselves to accept students who believe that they will be the ones to make it, when we see so clearly that the job market is a matter not of individual talent but of structural violence, of a system whose primary ideological function is to absolve the individuals who participate in it from any moral responsibility for its effects. 

A couple of years ago, I was talking with someone who was chair of a large English department. "I feel so worried about the profession," she told me, "that sometimes I just think to myself, ‘Oh, well, at least I only have five years to retirement, so I won’t have to watch it all fall apart.’"

The tale of two Bristols

I knew Bristol, Virginia, was struggling a little bit because of some poor retail investments, but I didn't realize the extent of the problems. Nor did I know that over 40% of its residents receive governmental assistance in some form, and all of its students receive free lunch since so much of the school population qualifies for financial help. From The Washington Post.

Two cities share a name, water and a library. But one is in big trouble.

On a warm night when State Street is lit like an Appalachian Broadway and music blares from restaurants and rooftop partiers yell “Honk your horn!” to passing cars, Bristol doesn’t seem like a city in trouble. 

But there are two sides to this old railroad hub about six hours southwest of Washington — one in Tennessee and one in Virginia. Facing each other across the yellow line down State Street, the Tennessee city is healthy; its mirror image in Virginia is in near-crisis.

Too many years of bad decisions have left Bristol, Va., strangled with debt. The jail is desperately overcrowded, and only a last-minute boost in state funding saved the schools from deep cuts. City staff positions are being eliminated, although so far nothing has been shut down. Interest payments will soon climb to nearly a quarter of the city’s general fund. 

“We’re about as low as you can go and not have cuts to services,” City Manager Randall Eads said. “We are truly rebuilding this city from the foundation up.”

Virginia is a famously well-run state, one of only about a dozen with a AAA bond rating (including Tennessee). Yet a number of Virginia’s cities are in deep fiscal and economic trouble. Two years ago, Petersburg — south of Richmond — nearly went bankrupt. Hopewell, also near Richmond, is so dysfunctional that state officials can’t even review its finances. The Southside city of Martinsville is considering reverting to town status, absorbing itself into the surrounding county.

The problems highlight disparity in a state that presents itself as a top-tier, economically advanced place to do business. Small cities and rural areas are losing population and economic power while the state’s wealthy suburban crescent — from D.C. through Richmond to Hampton Roads — grows and prospers. As the gap widens, several quirks of Virginia state law make it harder for those suffering areas to help themselves.

Infographic Friday

Those zany Millennials

They won't buy cars and can't afford houses because they blow their money on avocado toast. Is there no end in sight? From Citylab.

Why Won’t Millennials Join Country Clubs?

Jeff Morgan, CEO of the Club Managers Association of America, concedes there’s an image problem. “In the past, the model for a country club has been very golf-centric and largely male-centric,” he said. “Probably if you think of a country club, you think of Caddyshack, and middle-aged men out playing golf on the weekend.”

But Morgan insists that there’s more to modern club life: He calls today’s country club “a family-centric activity center, with golf as potentially [just] one of the activities or assets or experiences that are offered to members.” Besides the standard offerings like tennis and swimming, clubs are adding activities that are a little more social and casual, like burger and beer nights and wine tastings. 

Just as in 1979, clubs today are mixing things up to try to attract younger members (although “special dances” are probably not in the cards). “We try to cater our event offerings around [community], with things like paint nights—whatever I see on Instagram that’s getting popular,’” said Kristine Roberson, the membership and marketing director of Woodbridge Golf & Country Club in California. The club is located near Lodi, in the middle of wine country; Lodi has been attracting transplants from the Bay Area in search of more affordable living. A little under 10 percent of the club’s members are younger than 40, Roberson said. 

To draw Millennials, many clubs feature more non-golf amenities—especially health and wellness options like gyms, personal trainers, and yoga classes. Tradition Golf Club in La Quinta, California, reported that its fitness center had hosted “guest lecturers on a variety of health topics as well as [being] the kickoff point for biking groups, and planned area hikes.” 

Many clubs feature more health and wellness options like gyms, personal trainers, and yoga classes. 

How country clubs accept new members varies. Some clubs require a background check on top of initiation fees, and others require an interview. Some clubs are invitation-only, requiring referrals by current members. If a person is new to the area, their real estate agent might connect them with a member. 

In the age of Facebook and declining church attendance, country clubs are somewhere to socialize and make friends in real life. An air of exclusivity can be one result of selective membership, but preexisting bonds and similar attitudes can also offer a sense of community.

Tough times at my old Alma Mater

Western Illinois University. Wow--Illinois and Kentucky are really struggling. Most of the people I knew and worked with at WIU are retired so I haven't heard anything first hand. This many layoffs of professional people hurts the little town of Macomb. And last I heard, the president was looking for work elsewhere. From The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Western Illinois Will Lay Off 24 Faculty Members, Including 7 With Tenure

Western Illinois University will lay off 24 faculty members, including seven with tenure, in the next year, the university announced on Thursday in a news release. 

In making the decision at a special meeting on Thursday, the university’s Board of Trustees cited dips in enrollment and state funding. Two academic-affairs positions are also among the cuts. An additional 62 teaching positions — which either are vacant or will be vacated due to retirements or resignations — won’t be filled, according to the news release. 

The layoff notices, which will be sent to faculty members on Friday, give a one-year warning, as stipulated by the university’s contract with the union, the University Professionals of Illinois. Cathy Early, chair of the Board of Trustees, said in the news release that more cuts may follow, although the university’s president promised growth in other areas.

“As the state returns to what we hope is an era of fair and predictable funding, Western is making greater investments in high-demand programs,” the president, Jack Thomas, said in the news release. He also said the university would announce plans next month for investment in academic programs. 

Because of a historic state-budget stalemate, public colleges and universities in Illinois went some two years without state funds. Regional campuses like Western Illinois were especially hard hit. The state’s public colleges received some emergency funding, but the political deadlock forced many to lay off faculty and staff members. 

During the budget crisis, more than 100 faculty and staff members were laid off at Western Illinois. The university also laid off two tenured professors. As the crisis worsened, Illinois students headed for the exits, leaving the state in droves to pursue their college education elsewhere.

New law school coming to Tennessee?

Middle Tennessee, to be specific. I've seen institutions combine and move but never just a program pack up and leave. There's a strong population base for MTSU to draw from. From The Tennessean.

MTSU in talks with Valparaiso University to move law school to Murfreesboro

Middle Tennessee State University has secured a non-binding letter of intent with Valparaiso University to transfer the Indiana institution's law school to Murfreesboro, President Sidney A. McPhee said. 

Founded in 1879, the Valparaiso Law School has approximately 235 students and is accredited by the American Bar Association. 

In order for the transfer to take place, approval would be needed from each university's governing boards and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, according to a news release from MTSU. 

“Our exploration of this proposal is in keeping with MTSU’s tradition and strategic priority of pursuing innovative partnerships that create meaningful opportunities for our students, our region and our state,” McPhee said in the news release.  

Valparaiso University is located in a northwest Indiana town by the same name. 

A university spokeswoman did not provide any additional details about the agreement when contacted Friday afternoon.

Tales of the non-traditional

A 65 year old graduate from Queens University. From the Washington Post.

Once a homeless addict, he learned to read at 37. Now, he’s a college graduate.

Little by little, he learned to read and write. He took the high school equivalency exam five times and failed. On the sixth, he passed with one point to spare. 

“When I stopped drinking and using drugs and alcohol, my whole life was different,” he said. “It was like going from being blind to learning to see. I wanted to be a father. I wanted to be part of the world.” 

He had never had a bank account, so his friends at the church helped him open one. 

“Today kids learn that in first and second grade,” he said. “I had to get rid of the shame and admit I didn’t know how to do things.”

And he wanted a better life for his children. “I was determined my children would not grow up like I did,” he said.

He moved back to Charlotte for a job as an events setup coordinator for Myers Park Presbyterian Church. He started taking college classes. It took him eight years to earn his associate’s degree. 

Around that time his son was close to graduating from high school. Sherrill went by Queens University to figure out how to help his son apply for entry, and also for financial aid. The staff explained the process and told him he should apply himself. He declined, saying he was too old, but he helped his son successfully apply to North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro. 

Then he had an idea.

He wanted to be sure his son stayed in college, so he came up with a challenge. He’d enroll and have a little friendly competition with his son: Whoever got the best GPA at the end of each semester would give the other one $100.

“I was challenging my son so he wouldn’t drop out,” Sherrill said. 

In the process, he found he was enjoying taking college classes, and also feeling great about himself. His son graduated in four and a half years and is now a financial adviser with Merrill Lynch. It took Sherrill eight years, but he graduated on May 5 with a degree in human service studies. He’d like to get a job working with underprivileged kids. 

“I’m having a different feeling about myself, my self-esteem,” he said.

He’s been sober for 29 years. And he has a college degree. He marvels at both of those things.

Infographic Friday

One of the few law schools targeting working adults

Is trying to improve its outcomes. Since it's not accredited by the ABA, I believe its graduates can only practice in Tennessee. From The Tennessean.

Nashville School of Law's plan to improve bar passage rates, which are lowest in Tennessee

Nashville School of Law's pass rates on the Tennessee bar exam have cratered in recent years, with the school posting the lowest rates in the state for every round since July 2015. 

The rates hit a new low in February, when only 12 of the 87 NSL students who took the exam passed. Pass rates at several schools were lower than usual in February, but NSL's 14 percent rate still fell well below the statewide rate of 36 percent. 

But NSL administrators think new curriculum changes rolled out in the 2017-18 year could reverse the trend.

"We expect to see some of the results of those changes soon, likely in the bar administered this July," Michele Wojciechowski, director of communications and engagement at NSL, said Thursday in an email. "In addition to the curriculum changes, we have paired our students with alumni mentors to assist individually with bar preparation, which our recent graduates are in the midst of right now."

NSL caters to adults with full-time jobs who can earn law degrees after four years of night classes. It is not accredited by the American Bar Association. 

Tales of the nontraditional

From The Washington Post.

‘Could I make it in college?’: His journey to a bachelor’s degree started behind bars

Six years ago, two prison cellmates became, to their surprise, college roommates. Donte Small was doing time at Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup for assault with a handgun. Sanford Barber was in for involuntary manslaughter. Both were looking constantly to improve themselves. 

One day, Barber saw a flier advertising college courses. He signed them both up to apply. They had to interview and write letters to get in. Small wondered: “Could I make it in college? Is this possible? Is this really a thing?” 

They were accepted for Goucher College’s inaugural classes at Jessup in 2012. The two men proofed each other’s papers, talked about assignments, took turns at an improvised desk in the cell with a toilet seat as the chair. 

They sought, Barber said, “to motivate each other, uplift each other.” In one class they studied the Thirteenth Amendment, which ended slavery and involuntary servitude, and pondered the exception in it that allowed those measures as punishment for a criminal conviction. “Blew my mind when I read it,” Small said. 

Now out of prison, the two reunited this week on the leafy Goucher campus in the suburbs north of Baltimore to celebrate an unusual prison-to-college story: Small is about to graduate from the liberal arts school with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. 

The 29-year-old from Baltimore County, released in 2014, will don a cap and gown Friday and participate in all the pomp that Goucher bestows on its Class of 2018. He has finished his school work except for a short trip next month to fulfill a study abroad requirement. Small said he wants to “push, challenge and change the narrative about individuals with a criminal past.” 

The path Small followed, starting with a college behind bars and finishing on its main campus, is not unprecedented. But experts say very few are able to do it.

Lake County, Tennessee

Has fewer high school graduates than any other Tennessee county. According to Wikipedia, it's  located in the northwest corner of the state its population was 7,832 at the 2010 census. It looks like a beautiful place, bordered by the Mississippi River and Reelfoot Lake. From 24/7 Wall Street.

The County With the Fewest High School Graduates in Every State

42. Tennessee: Lake County  

> Adults in Lake County with at least a HS diploma: 73.1% (3,017 out of 3,142 counties)
> Adults in Tennessee with at least a HS diploma: 87.0% (15th lowest)
> Adults in Lake County with at least a bachelor’s degree: 9.1%
> Avg. earnings for county residents without HS diploma: $16,071
> Avg. earnings for county residents with HS diploma: $21,600

Tennessee's improving rank

Among states investing the most in higher education. Wyoming, of all places, invests the most. From 27/7 Wall Street.

States Investing the Most in Higher Education

13. Tennessee
> Annual public higher ed. spending per student: $8,242
> 2017 public college enrollment: 185,513
> # of state colleges + universities: 49 (12th most)
> Tuition revenue per student: $7,012 (22nd lowest)
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 26.1% (10th lowest)

Infographic Friday

From Visually.

The Walmart college plan

There doesn't seem to be a downside. I hope more employers copy it--after all, we have online programs that would be a good fit. From the Atlantic.

Why Walmart Is Paying for Its Employees to Go to College

Here’s what Walmart’s plan looks like: Employees will be able to earn their associates or bachelor’s degrees in either business or supply-chain management, and Walmart will pay for any upfront costs after financial aid, including tuition, books, and fees, which they say will eliminate the need for a loan. Recipients can attend any of three institutions selected for, according to Walmart, their emphasis on adult students: the University of Florida, Brandman University in California, and Bellevue University in Nebraska. 

For their part, employees will have to pay the equivalent of $1 per day to Walmart as a sort of co-pay and there does not appear to be any requirement for employees to stay with the company once they have completed their degree—a feature of several other employer-sponsored tuition-assistance programs. “Investing in the personal and professional success of our associates is vital to Walmart’s future success,” said Greg Foran, the CEO of Walmart’s U.S. branch. “We know training and learning opportunities empower associates to deliver for customers while growing and advancing in their careers.” 

The move to help its employees go to college looks good for a company that has been pilloried over the years for its low wages, lack of room for career growth, and stingy benefits. That cocktail has made it hard for the mega-chain one-stop shop to retain its workers. But it has tried to change in recent months, boosting its base-pay by $2 to $11 per hour and expanding its family benefits—maternity leave, in particular, which went from six to 10 weeks of paid leave. Offering tuition assistance to employees is another step toward making the company more worker-friendly. 

Robert Kelchen, assistant professor for higher education at Seton Hall University, put it like this: “What this shows is—while it’s good PR for Walmart—it’s getting more difficult for companies to keep employees with the economy improving and they’re looking for ways to both keep talented employees and build up goodwill among the public.”

It's harder than you think for single moms

To complete their college degrees. Imagine the effect affordable, quality child care on campuses would have. From The Atlantic.

Single Moms in College Spend 9 Hours a Day on Housework

Every year around this time—when commencement season and Mother’s Day collide—moms across the country are praised for their grit and resolve. It’s a tough job for just about anyone. But for 2.1 million single mothers, according to the latest federal data, the normal difficulties are compounded by the stresses of going to college. 

For these moms, there may not be enough hours in the day to do all the tasks they have to do at home while still going to college. A new report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a think tank and advocacy group for advancing women’s status, breaks down the data on the amount of time single mothers in college are spending on their obligations outside of the classroom compared with women students without children. The analysis, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey, is instructive—and eye-opening. 

Single moms who are enrolled in college full-time spend about two hours a day on active child care, six on supervisory care (meaning time spent looking after their children while doing another another activity such as cooking or cleaning), and about two hours on housework; all told, these women are spending upward of nine hours a day on care and housework. Students without children devote about two hours to all of those activities combined. And on top of all of that, the report found, single-mother college students are getting less sleep, exercise, and social time than other students. In a separate IWPR study, nearly half of women who attend community college and live with children said they thought they were likely to drop out.

“Single mothers in college are doing double and triple duty to make a better life for their families,” said Lindsey Reichlin Cruse, a researcher at IWPR, in a release that accompanied the new report, “but too few have the support needed to juggle the competing time demands of college, parenthood, and employment.” 

It would make sense, then, that one of the most effective ways to help the population of students would be to give them back some of their time—time that could be spent on their classes—through child-care services. However, for many single mothers on campus, finding affordable child care isn’t easy.  

Tales of the nontraditional

From AARP.org.

89-Year-Old With 12 Children Gets Her Degree

Few college graduates have experienced all that Ella Washington has experienced. At 89 years old, she's lived through the Great Depression, World War II and the moon landing, among many other key moments in history. And on Saturday, Washington became Liberty University's oldest graduate, earning her associate degree in interdisciplinary studies. 

Even while putting her 12 children through school by working full time, she never gave up on her dream of continuing her education. Growing up in rural North Carolina during the 1930s, Washington dropped out of school in the sixth grade to work on the family farm. But when she got married and had children of her own, she wanted to make sure they received a proper education. 

"She has always been a lifelong learner," Washington's daughter Ellen Mitchell told Liberty News. "Her desire for learning and for pursuing an education became a family tradition. She taught all of her children how to read, write and do math prior to their beginning school, just as her grandmother taught her and her siblings." 

At age 49, Washington earned her GED diploma after completing an adult education program. But her main desire was to go to college, and so, in 2012, she enrolled in Liberty's online program. And there's no stopping her now. She says she plans to keep working toward a bachelor's degree in history at Liberty, located in Lynchburg, Va.

The cheapest states

To retire in. Tennessee is on the list, and the states don't seem to be ranked. I also don't know where the health costs figure comes from (There's no explanation in the article's introduction.), but it must be the lifetime cost. From Kiplinger.

10 Cheapest States Where You'll Want to Retire

Tennessee 

Overall retirement ranking: #5 

Population: 6.5 million 

Share of population 65+: 15.0% 

Cost of living: 12% below the U.S. average 

Average income for 65+ households: $47,891 

Average health care costs for a retired couple: Below average at $411,617 

Tax rating for retirees: Tax Friendly 

The Volunteer State is a good choice for budget-conscious retirees. According to data from the Council for Community and Economic Research, every major metro area offers below-average living costs in almost every category of expenses, including health care—among the biggest financial concerns for aging Americans. Plus, Tennessee does not levy state income taxes, so your retirement income can stretch even further. And being economically healthy, Tennessee should have no issues maintaining its tax-friendliness; it ranks eighth of all states for fiscal soundness, according to a recent report from the Mercatus Center.

Infographic Friday

Brought to you by USC Social Work Graduate Programs

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July

Source: WalletHub

You know you're old

When an article featuring the year you were born starts in 1971, when you were a senior in high school. Sigh. I do remember being charged about $500 a quarter for college. From 24/7 Wall St.

Cost of College the Year You Were Born

1972
> Private tuition, fees, room, and board per year: $3,090 (inflation adjusted: $18,040)
> Public tuition, fees, room, and board per year: $1,550 (inflation adjusted: $9,080)
> Per capita income: $4,876 (inflation adjusted: $20,258)
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 12.0%

Tales of the non-traditional

Not sure about the documentation,but if you Google the oldest graduate, you do get a lot of hits for him. From SuperScholar.org.

10 Oldest People to Earn a Degree

1. Leo Plass, 99 

Plass dropped out of college in 1932 when he was just 20. Then, at 99 years old, the Oregon resident finished what he started by receiving an Associates degree from Eastern Oregon University. 

Plass set a world record in doing so. Just a few credits shy of a degree, Leo Plass quit school in 1932 to pursue a career in the logging industry. According to Plass, the pay was too good to pass up, but he never did forget his academic aspirations. Finally, in 2011, 99-year-old Plass earned his associates degree from East Oregon University.