On Nov. 15, Duke President Richard Brodhead wrote a letter to students, urging better behavior and a broader embrace of values and good behavior.

It was an unusual move. Students aren't accustomed to hearing from their president or being gently chided by him.

The letter was far from scathing. Prompted by a succession of embarrassing incidents, it suggested that Duke's image was being distorted but asked students to "face up" to behavior they feel isn't appropriate.

Was Brodhead being a strong leader by sending this letter? No way, argues Jay Schalin of the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy.

Writing on the Pope Center's website today, Schalin interprets Brodhead as being irritated rather than outraged by the misbehavior of some of his curent and former students.

He writes in part:

The email does not convey a deep concern by Brodhead for the students’ self-destructive behavior, but rather his irritation that their antics are getting in the way of the school’s image. Nor is there any outraged call for serious culture change on campus—just a timid suggestion that students change their ways. And it demonstrated a lack of leadership; his administration should be out in front on this issue, not merely willing to “cooperate with you [the student body] fully.”

What do you think?

Click here for some background and to read the entire letter.
 

Okay. So you're just dying to donate some money back to your beloved alma mater.

But how? Where? How much? And what are your options?

Look no further. Jenna Ashley Robinson over at the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy has it all figured out.

On the foundation's website, Robinson has explored all the different ways you can donate to a university. One message here - you don't just have to give to a school's general fund, even if that's where the institution would very much like you to direct your dough.

As she finds, you can give to a particular school, department, or student organization.

Have a read here.

N.C. State University's Millennium Seminars Series routinely brings in big names to speak on campus. The latest was former President Bill Clinton, who spoke Monday at Reynolds Coliseum.

The series has proven popular. But now, a right-leaning Raleigh thinktank charges that the seminar is essentially a platform for the espousing of liberal ideas. 

Jay Schalin, with the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, likens the series to a one-sided argument. The series is coordinated by former First Lady Mary Easley, who, you may recall, was the subject of a good bit of controversy last year when she received a substantial pay raise from NCSU.

He writes in part:

"Many in the academic establishment deny that any ideological bias exists on the American campus, but the numbers tell a story of deliberate imbalance. There have been five speakers strongly identified with the Democratic Party or liberal opinions, all appearing since October of 2007, and only two relatively liberal Republican speakers (both appearing early in the fall semester of 2006).

It is hard not to raise the question whether, in this case, the state’s currently dominant political party is using its advantage to essentially silence the opposition on this state-supported campus by simply not offering them a voice. Without a more balanced slate of speakers, students are being cheated out of exposure to the full range of opinions and the chance to make up their own minds."

Read Schalin's entire column here.

Writing online for the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, a former teaching assistant at UNC Chapel Hill talks about how little preparation she had for the classroom when she was thrown into it.

Jenna Ashley Robinson writes about a wide variance in what universities require for their teaching assistants and the preparation mandated before a new graduate student is placed before a roomful of young undergrads.

It's not always adequate, she believes. She writes in part:

"As a first-year graduate student at UNC Chapel Hill, I was a teaching assistant for Introduction to American Politics. I led my discussion sections - and graded student exams and papers - after only a single half-day orientation for future graduate teaching assistants."