Welcome Back

Well here we are in a new year. I heard on the street that enrollment is down as is retention. I suppose we will be told that the falloff was either planned or really didn't happen. As to retention, that will be our fault. The greedy lazy shifless faculty have once again done in the University's best efforts to grant an education to some of its students. Sometime in February the HLC (sounds like a cable channel) will visit for accredidation purposes. The excitement is palpable. I'm on the edge of my chair. Actually I'm on the edge of my chair because I had double hernia surgery and it's a lot easier to sit that way. Remember these are the fine folks who have had us do all this work on assessment. These are the fine folks who expect us to follow our graduates and somehow connect what they have done in life with my Mass Communication class. While I'm all in favor of improving the human condition, I don't feel personally responsible for it five years down the road. I doubt the owners of the blog will be invited to any of the dinners, meetings, etc. while the crew is in town. To save the administration time and worry, I am now going to include what I believe will be the crux of the visitation report.

We, the visitation committee from on high, would like to compliment the University on its continued efforts in the area of assessment. While you aren't there yet, you are certainly committed to the process. Secondarily we would like to note your committment to faculty relations. You have successfully drug the faculty kicking and screaming into the late 20th century. You have managed to stifle dissent quite nicely and we will recommend you as a model to others. Your ability to have a medical school take over an entire university is likewise noteworthy. The shifting of money and resources away from the liberal arts without a peep from your BOT is truly remarkable. We will send others to learn at your feet.

Sincerely,

Those Happy Olympus Visitors

Aargh!

Faculty Senate vs. Jacobs Inc.

What happened to "EARN a college education"?

The Rosetta Stone of the Jacobs' Administration

The website listed immediately below generates academic gibberish that resounds of the linguistic and faux-programmatic style of the current UT administration. Please see:

http://www.sciencegeek.net/lingo.html

Learn what it's like to experience the illusionary power of the phrase, "In the beginning was the Word," and see the futility in the current administrative policy of, "Words-without-end-amen."

verbs, adjectives, nouns

agendize
aggregate
assess
benchmark
cultivate
deliver
deploy
disaggregate
disintermediate
drive
embrace
empower
enable
engage
engineer
enhance
envision
evolve
expedite
exploit
extend
facilitate
generate
grow
harness
implement
innovate
integrate
iterate
leverage
maximize
mesh
morph
optimize
orchestrate
recontextualize
reinvent
repurpose
revolutionize
seize
strategize
streamline
synergize
synthesize
target
transform
transition
triangulate
unleash
utilize
visualize
assessment-driven
authentic
bottom-up
brain-compatible
child-centered
classroom-based
collaborative
collegial
compelling
competency-based
constructivist
cooperative
critical
cross-curricular
developmentally appropriate
discipline-based
dynamic
efficient
global
group-based
hands-on
holistic
impactful
innovative
inquiry-centered
integrated
interactive
interdisciplinary
intuitive
learner-centered
learning-intensive
literature-based
mastery-focused
meaning-centered
metacognitive
mission-critical
multidisciplinary
multi-media
objective
open-ended
outcome-based
over-arching
peer-based
performance-based
performance-driven
proactive
problem-based
process-based
real-time
real-world
research-based
revolutionary
school-based
school-to-work
shared
site-based
standards-based
strategic
student-centered
subjective
synergistic
technology-enhanced
thematic
top-down
visionary


action plans
action-items
alignment
applications
articulation
assessment
business partnerships
cohorts
communities
competencies
content
convergence
critical thinking
curriculum compacting
curriculum integration
curriculum
decision-making
dialogue
differentiated lessons
education
enrichment
ESLR's
experiences
facilitators
functionalities
goals
higher-order thinking
infrastructures
initiatives
instruction
interfaces
learning
learning styles
life-long learning
living documents
manipulatives
mastery learning
methodologies
models
multiple intelligences
networks
niches
objectives
outcomes
paradigms
paradigms
pedagogy
problem-solving
processes
relationships
risk-takers
scaffolding
schemas
solutions
staff development
stakeholders
strategies
styles
synergies
systems
teaching
technologies
units

The Higher Learning Commission Needs to Know

utcommentstohlc@gmail.com

~

In Memoriam

Dean Alice Skeens

Thanks Ben!

Inviting food into Carlson Library? This thuggish administration has already trash-canned most of our main campus library’s scientific books and journals in short order. Now this! Call it “creeping desecration" and yet another example of how Jacobs Inc. is failing the students and faculty of this campus by deliberately undermining its once-dignified quality learning environment and by bulldozing its traditional landscapes of intellectual decorum.

Dr. Carlson may have to return from the grave to personally to right these wrongs. First on his list of things to do is knock on the door of a certain derelict library dean who perceives his primary duty to be pimping for Papa John and campus food services instead of preserving and protecting sacred library space.