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

Section: Opinion

The Obama White House: Mired in Distraction

Why does President Barack Obama’s White House continue to be mired in distraction? Since the president took office there has been Gates Gate; the international snub in Copenhagen, Denmark, after the president flew there overnight to make a bid for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Olympics; the call for New York Gov. David Patterson […]

October 13, 2009

Giving Back is a Matter of Surviving and Thriving for HBCUs

As I was perusing the Facebook statuses of some of my “friends” today, I came across one who posted the following: “Did you attend an HBCU? If you had a great time and appreciate all that your HBCU did to make you who you are today, then put your money where your mouth is and […]

October 12, 2009

Making My Mark

One of the most important things I learned as a journalist was to compel the reader to follow my story. One of the toughest tasks I face is to make you, the reader, care about this blog. I guess I should get to the point: I’m kind of unique. During this academic year, I will […]

October 5, 2009

No More Excuses

Leaders at institutional, local and national levels are looking for effective practices to accelerate college degree completion in the United States. Given the growth and youth of the Latino population, identifying practices with evidence of effectiveness in increasing Latinos’ educational achievement in college will be useful. However, before the creation of the Examples of Excelencia […]

October 5, 2009

The Prideful Bigotry of the Present

America’s increasing polarization along racial and ideological lines is seriously undermining democratic ideals and principles. The fringes of the political left and the political right are putting power, privilege and prejudice over civility, community and commonality. The result is a country that values acerbic rhetoric over intelligent discourse, suppression of speech over freedom of speech […]

October 4, 2009

Use Your Voice!

This week in my History of American Higher Education course, we were discussing perspective — meaning that each of the authors and articles I assign has a perspective or an inherent bias. I work hard to teach students to critically think and to realize that bias is everywhere and that it’s nearly impossible to find […]

October 1, 2009

Profiling Latinos

By 2025, 22 percent of the U.S. college-age population will be Latino, a level already exceeded in four states: California, Florida, New York, and Texas. However, today, only 7 percent of college-age Latinos (ages 18 to 24) have earned an associate degree or higher compared with 9 percent of Blacks, 16 percent of Whites, and […]

September 28, 2009

The Curious Case of Michael Steele

Let’s face it, if Barack Obama were not president of the United States, Michael Steele would not be the “chairman” of the Republican Party. Yet Steele continues to act as if race was not the sole reason that he was selected to lead The Grim Old Party. The reality is both race and tokenism played […]

September 23, 2009

Implementing the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act and its Impact on Latinos

This past week the House of Representatives passed landmark legislation to overhaul student college loan programs and redirect billions in projected savings to student aid and other education programs. Among its most significant changes, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (HR 3221) would eliminate the bank-based Family Federal Education Loan Program (FFELP) and make […]

September 22, 2009

Obama and Paterson: Painful Politics

The New York Times has reported that President Obama has asked New York Governor David Paterson to drop out of the 2010 governor’s race. While not exactly denying the report, a White House official said, “There are officials in the White House that share the concerns that are widely held in New York about the […]

September 21, 2009

We Should Be Realistic About Racial Representation in Television

Over the next few weeks, the American public will be introduced to many new comedies, dramas, “reality” programs and other forms of media. And of course, viewers will witness the return of many of their favorite programs. To be blunt, I do not watch an abundance of television. One reason for doing so is that […]

September 16, 2009

The Obama Presidency in Peril?

President Obama’s presidency is in peril for two primary reasons. The first, his inability to be a transformational leader to an American public hungry for it is of his own making. The second, the thinly veiled demonstration of racism unskillfully disguised as “concern for country” is both to be expected and not of his own […]

September 15, 2009

Of a Black President, White Children, and Maintaining the Status Quo

Last week proved quite revealing. It began with the conservative hysteria surrounding President Obama’s education speech to the children of America, and it culminated with the extreme right wing 9/12 Tea Party March on Washington this weekend, billed as a gathering of “freedom loving patriots.” And just when you thought things couldn’t get any more outrageous, […]

September 13, 2009

Enrolling vs. Serving Latino Students

The Obama administration has articulated a goal to return to the top of the international rankings for degree completion by 2020. Due to Latinos’ youth and projected growth, the U.S. cannot reach its goals for international rankings without a tactical plan that includes Latino students. To reach this goal, higher education will have to do […]

September 13, 2009

What Educators Can Learn from President Obama’s Back to School Speech

We now know that President Obama’s recent speech to America’s youngest citizens was not, as some feared, a 4-page/18-minute ideological conversion into “socialism.” In the words of comedian Steve Harvey, “Now that we done got that out the way,” we can turn to a bit more productive and realistic dialogue including what educators at all […]

September 7, 2009

Come on People! What’s the Big Deal about a President Welcoming Students Back to School?

By Dr. Marybeth Gasman Ronald Reagan did it, George H.W. Bush did it, why can’t Barack Obama? Why can’t public school children listen to our president welcome them back to school? I’ll admit that I was not the biggest fan of our last president, but I would not have a problem with him speaking to […]

September 6, 2009

It’s HBCU Week in Washington DC: Let’s See What the Future Holds

Every year, I attend the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities Conference, which is held in Washington D.C. in September. It’s a unique event in that it brings together the leaders of both public and private HBCUs with members of the federal government, funders, and those representing the private and nonprofit sector. […]

August 31, 2009

The Growing Intolerance Must Be Confronted

Think about the following: • Former Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has made the claim that President Obama’s health care plan would establish “death panels” to oversee end of life care for the elderly and terminally ill. • A Swastika was found spray-painted on a sign fronting the office of U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Georgia, (who […]

August 19, 2009