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The Truth Be Known: Education in Alabama

March 22, 2022

Two articles appeared recently (Feb.-March 2022) in The Tuscaloosa News, and both examined, directly and indirectly, the state of education in Alabama. A third article was published in 2019 in which Alabama was ranked next to last in the US News and World Report ranking of best and worst states. This latter ranking looked at […]

Alabamians for Academic Excellence and Integrity

January 22, 2022

When it comes to higher education in Alabama, two questions come to mind: what went wrong, and can we fix it? And do you know how state universities spend your money? If you are paying tuition, room, board. and other costs, you should know that over 1,500 undergraduate courses at the University of Alabama meet […]

Going to School, Years Ago

January 22, 2022

What was it like going to school a half century ago? Or maybe a century ago? My brother graduated from Georgia Tech seventy years ago in 1952. And for you all who like ancient history, my grandfather was born before the Civil War. I mentioned that to some undergraduate students a few years ago and […]

The Ugly Grade of F in Schools and Colleges

September 10, 2021

Many schools and colleges have done away with the F grade as too demeaning and demoralizing for students. I don’t know what the rules are today since I retired from teaching almost ten years ago, but I do remember that UA got rid of Fs for introductory English courses, and other discipline entry-level courses did […]

Academic Freedom

March 29, 2021

Since we live in a university and college town, from the University of Alabama to Stillman College with Shelton State Community College tucked in for good measure, I thought readers would be interested in the state of academic freedom in the U. S. It comes from a piece by Eric Kaufman, “Academic Freedom is Withering” […]

Teaching with James

March 12, 2021

In earlier columns we dealt with different aspects of research and teaching. We examined teaching in general as one of the three principal missions of a modern university—teaching, research, and service. We also explored the “Socratic method” of teaching. Today let’s consider another approach, in this instance by one of my favorite Biblical teachers, James, […]

Excellence and Equality

March 4, 2021

I promised myself not to write any more about politics this year. Everyone with a computer, tablet or cell phone is writing, all the way from Twitter to the New York Times, and most of it is just political importuning from the Left or Right in American politics. The heretofore “objective” role of journalists is […]

Commission for the 21st Century

January 19, 2021

As we move into the third decade of the 21st century I think we need to do some planning. I suggested a few weeks ago on a way for UA to renew itself with vigor and imagination. Establish a Commission for the 21st Century to study where we’ve come from, where we are, and what […]

Christians in America

October 25, 2020

Not too long ago I read an article, “After the Culture War,” by Barton Swain in his column on “Politics” in the WSJ, October 3-4. When I see the words “culture” and “wars” these days, or someone who actually calls himself a political something-or-another, or in this case a political writer, I usually turn to […]

Integrating Alabama as Prelude to Diversity

June 21, 2020

This is the second piece in a series of Op-eds devoted to the subjects of integration, diversity, equity, and inclusion within the University communities of the nation but with particular emphasis on the University of Alabama. This is largely, obviously, since we are here, not in someplace like Boston, Seattle, or Miami. Much of what […]