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Welcome to The EDU Ledger! We’ve moved from Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.

Section: Blogs/Opinion

Good and Bad

In my Marine Corps War College office in Quantico, a two-foot pile of articles lamenting or defending the state of professional military education gathers dust on a bookshelf while I’m on my sabbatical. Three recent War on the Rocks articles make some good points. I would put one of these, written by Paula Thornhill, in […]

August 7, 2018

Spouse’s Challenge

FORT LEE, Va. — My mother hates it when I tell people how much I spend on things. For example, a friend might say, “That’s a great outfit, Lisa,” and I respond, “Well get this – I bought the shirt on clearance at TJ Maxx for $11.99, and I found these pants along with an […]

August 3, 2018

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Cheating Online?

More university students are choosing to study online rather than face-to-face, prompting concerns about academic integrity. If you’re tempted to cheat in face-to-face courses, even during exams, how much easier would it be to pass off work that isn’t your own when you’re online? But research by us and others shows how university courses are […]

August 2, 2018

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Tracks for Transition

The mandatory portion of the military’s Transition Assistance Program includes pre-separation counseling, the main three parts in the TAP curriculum, and the Capstone at the end. In addition to the required aspects, there is a non-mandatory part of TAP which mainly consists of optional “tracks” that service members can take as an extended part of […]

July 31, 2018

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New Secretary’s Challenge

The US Senate confirmed attorney Robert Wilkie on Monday to become the next Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs with a vote of 86 to 9. Wilkie, a veteran with deep ties to DOD and the Senate is now responsible for correcting course to the most dysfunctional agency in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. “Under […]

July 27, 2018

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Education and Innovation

In early 2017, a Russian drone dropped a thermite grenade on an Eastern Ukrainian military base and caused a chain of explosions that destroyed a billion dollars’ worth of ammunition and infrastructure. In southern Afghanistan today, the Taliban have seemingly developed a home-grown version of “clear, hold, build” to kill security forces, block supplies, and […]

July 26, 2018

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“Ladies and….”

Two short words can change the Marine Corps: “Ladies and . . . .” As a brand new lieutenant to the fleet, I was shocked standing in formation when my commanding officer began by addressing the unit as “gentlemen.” I was not the only woman in my unit and there have been women serving in […]

July 24, 2018

Owing the V.A.

The Department of Veterans Affairs says you owe them money. You disagree. But how do you fight Uncle Sam when he comes for your cash? If there’s one thing military members know, it’s that when the Defense Department gives you too much money, it will come back for it eventually. Read More

July 20, 2018

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New GI Bill

The Department of Defense (DOD) recently made a change to the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, changing the ability for service members to transfer their earned benefits to family members. The DOD called the new policy a “substantive change” in a news release issued on July 12. The new policy puts a deadline on the time that service […]

July 19, 2018

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The Digital Revolution

Peter Smith ’68 has been a strong proponent of educational opportunities for adults since the 1970s, when he spearheaded the launch of the Community College of Vermont. Since that time, he has seen opportunities for non-traditional students grow dramatically, especially through the growth of the internet and online-learning programs. Free Range Learning in the Digital […]

July 17, 2018

NATO Spending

President Trump is already drawing headlines for his gaffes at this week’s NATO conference. But perhaps worse is his bold—but more mainstream—demand that NATO countries meet an arbitrary military spending goal. The president wants NATO countries to spend 4% of their GDP on their militaries. In fairness, Trump didn’t dream up this daffy idea himself: […]

July 13, 2018

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The Wild West

Everyone in America should be concerned about recent news that the U.S. Department of Education has quietly but steadily deprioritized investigations into fraud and abuse by a number of for-profit institutions. This doesn’t just impact current and future students — it affects every tax-paying citizen in our country. Higher education is more than a series […]

July 12, 2018

Education for Adults

All across Ohio, employers are having trouble filling positions essential to our economy. While Ohio is second among the states in job creation, more than 150,000 good jobs have gone unfilled because too few people in the state have the necessary knowledge and skills for those careers. To address this challenge, Ohio has set a […]

July 10, 2018

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Transitioning to Reserves

Servicemembers are faced with an important decision at the end of their enlistment: whether to separate from military service or transition into the Reserves. The Reserves offer many great opportunities, including the opportunity to remain associated with the military without the full-time commitment of being active duty. Military Reservists commonly work two days a month […]

July 6, 2018

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Entrepreneurial Spirit

There must be something about military training that is conducive to business. Veterans are 45 percent more likely to be self-employed than non-vets. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one in 10 small businesses is owned by a veteran, collectively generating $1.4 trillion in annual sales. So it’s no surprise the U.S. Small Business Administration […]

July 5, 2018

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Inclusion for MOOCs

By definition, MOOCs are massive. It’s not atypical for a given course to bring in tens of thousands+ of students looking to re-skill, study, learn a language, or feed their curiosity. With any population that size, there will be a great deal of diversity. So—how does an instructor tango with that dance partner? How do […]

June 29, 2018

Lonely, Bored

Veterans face a variety of problems once they leave the service. Whether it’s accurate or not, many veterans feel life is a little harder for them than for most people. But what if a big part of the problem wasn’t so much PTSD or poor transition assistance — at least not directly — but rather […]

June 28, 2018

Female soldier with PTSD seeks counseling

Not What Flag Stands For

As the CEO of Task & Purpose, I’ve tried to create a community that is above partisan politics and all that divides us today. I’ve also tried to make this a place that gives voice to multiple sides of an issue. If our community, those of us who have shared experiences in battle and in […]

June 22, 2018