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

Section: Opinion

Intellect and Discipline: The Keys to a Successful Academic Career

I have a good friend who is the most brilliant individual I know. He has a mind that most of us would kill for — at least most academics would. He is well-read, possessing a deep, almost stunning, knowledge of diverse subjects. He thinks in innovative and refreshing ways. He also has the “proper” educational […]

June 8, 2009

Diversity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Why is it that people assume that Historically White Institutions are diverse, yet in the same breath assume that Historically Black Institutions are not? And, when I say people — I mean all kinds of people — of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. If you take a look at the nation’s Historically White Institutions (HWIs), […]

June 4, 2009

It is High Time for a Black Woman on the High Court

“Make me do it.” -Barack Hussein Obama The relevance of the above challenge issued by then-Senator Barack Obama will soon become obvious. For now, let me first congratulate Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s nominee for the soon-to-be vacant seat of retiring high court Associate Justice David Souter. Obama’s historic nomination of the first Latina to the […]

June 1, 2009

Sonia Sotomayor: A Fabulous Choice For The Supreme Court

Even before she was considered to be the front runner as the next Supreme Court Justice, there were rumblings from political conservatives about the “problems” with Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Now that she has been officially nominated by President Obama, certain segments of the right have come out swinging and kicking. One could argue that they are fouling […]

June 1, 2009

Reframing the School Safety Debate (Notes from AERA, Part 1)

Last month I participated in the 2009 American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting along with thousands of other educational researchers. Each year the meeting is an incredibly stimulating time for me, especially since it comes late in the academic year. One element of the meeting that always stimulates my own intellectual work is hearing […]

May 27, 2009

Are a Boy’s Chances Better at Becoming a Sports Star or a Doctor?

I often ask young children, especially boys, what they want to do when they reach adulthood. One of the most repeated answers is that they want to become professional athletes. The two primary sports that they have an interest in, and not to my surprise, are basketball and football. It seems that basketball almost has […]

May 27, 2009

Black History, No More?

Now that Barack Obama is President of the United States, why don’t we just pretend that America wasn’t built on slaveholding? If the spate of recent “post-racial” articles suggesting that we need no longer commemorate the African American struggle for freedom and equality in this country is any indication, this seems to be where we’re […]

May 21, 2009

A Litmus Test for Commencement Speakers?

Every President since President Eisenhower has been invited to speak at Notre Dame’s commencements. So, why has President Obama’s invitation created such a row? It depends on who you ask. First, many of those who oppose his invitation do so ostensibly based on Catholic social teaching and a doctrinal dedication to Catholicism. That is, they […]

May 17, 2009

Slam-Dunking Sports Myths: Thoughts from a “dumb jock” professor

As a professor, one of my major jobs is to choose or follow something called a research agenda. Once chosen, we devote lots of time learning about that particular area, becoming somewhat of an expert and parlaying the information back to larger audiences (in theory, although some of us, quite frankly, do not). I study […]

May 13, 2009

Ain’t I A Professor?

Ain’t I a professor? Living an Authentic Academic Life as a Black Intellectual By Robin Hughes In the last couple of months, I have mulled over an audience participant’s comment, which occurred during a national conference. To put it mildly, it has been quite bothersome. The comment/question was directed towards me. I took it as […]

May 13, 2009

The Perils of a “post-racial” Presidency

A recent New York Times/CBS poll concluded that race relations are improving in the wake of the election of President Obama. According to the survey, about 66 percent of Americans said that race relations are generally good compared with 53 percent in July of last year. Fifty-nine percent of African-Americans – along with 65 percent […]

May 10, 2009

Mentoring is Absolutely Essential for the Future of the Professoriate

Yesterday as I was chatting on Facebook (yes, I do that) with a faculty member at a different institution than my own. He’s brand new on the tenure-track at a research university. In addition, he is African American at a traditionally White institution and as such, most likely has to contend with additional pressures. I don’t […]

May 5, 2009

Predicting Academic Success Using Shoe Size: Affirming the Action in College Admissions

Many higher educational institutions no longer rely exclusively on standardized tests as a primary indicator of future academic success. However, the courts continue to be bombarded by numerous allegations of rampant reverse discrimination, and public outrage that stems from students’ performances on standardized tests. In light of the insurmountable testimony from students and subsequently courts […]

May 4, 2009

Racial Intolerance, Historical Streotypes and Paranoia on the Rerun

Racial Intolerance, Historical Stereotypes and Paranoia on the Rerun While many Americans of all races celebrated the election of our first Black president, there were others who did not. These are the men and women who have been seething in resentment and rage at the fact that a person of non-Eurocentric origin is occupying the […]

May 4, 2009

Shaping the Court: Race, Gender and Ideology

2009 seems to be the year that the American electorate is turning left of center. Evidence of this include the election of President Obama, the election of a Democratic controlled Congress, the Supreme Court of Iowa sanctioned same sex marriage, Vermont allows same sex marriage and several other states are soon to follow. Is this […]

May 3, 2009

Can Michael Vick Take the Steps to Rebuild His Life?

It was only a few years ago that Michael Vick was playing quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons and riding high. He was slashing and dashing through National Football League lines, and it was a joy to watch him. Now, he is without a ride and grounded. Much was made a while back about Michael Vick, […]

April 22, 2009

Obama Decision to Boycott World Racism Conference is Regrettable

Change has come to America. Doubters of this undeniable truth need only look to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for confirmation. Or to the international stage, where President Barack Obama — along with first lady Michelle Obama — has taken the world by storm. Let’s face it. It was nothing short of amazing to witness the Obamas […]

April 19, 2009

Court of the Conqueror Writes Another Legal Fiction

On March 31, 2009, the Supreme Court of the United States (S.C.O.T.U.S.) issued its ruling in the case of State of Hawaii v. Office of Hawaiian Affairs, et al. The state of Hawai‘i asked the high court whether or not the state has the authority to sell, exchange, or transfer 1.2 million acres of land […]

April 19, 2009