It’s Time to Dismantle and Rebuild Higher Education
Dear readers,
This is a very important time for education. It is time to make changes, to improve our system. We need to take action.
In the past weeks, we have opened a groundbreaking conversation about a better Academia. We called on all academics and non-academics to join the discussion on how we can make our classrooms, curriculum, and schools a more inclusive one.
The Faculty is a place where academics, educators, scientists, students, and everyone who wants to disrupt the education and scientific research system can share stories and thoughts. The Faculty is a place where we can question ourselves and our systems and enact the change we all need. A place where we share ideas and develop actions to change our approach to education, science, and research.
I am sincerely grateful for all the writers who are joining the conversation and have shared with us their most personal stories, inviting us to lead the change and do better. Join the conversation here.
Here are their stories.
Editors’ Pick
Not Just the Syllabus, Throw the Whole Discipline In the Trash by Ciarra Jones
“In America, education works to validate intelligence and cosign intellect. As such, I believe schools are morally responsible for the minds they mold. We live in a world wherein titles mean something. When someone leaves an institution with a degree, they then use their degree to leverage themselves into new jobs and new positions of power. But what happens when that Yale-educated physician or Harvard-educated biologist also believes that Black people have thicker skin and higher pain thresholds? The harm done is irrevocable.”
Trending Stories
The Culture of Genius and Women Impostors in Academia by Maria Angel Ferrero, Ph.D.
“The gender gap is still a prominent issue in Academia, especially in STEM. Women, despite universities and government policies against discrimination, remain vastly under-represented in the ivory.”
6 Ways to Become a Burnout Proof Teacher by Alex Gonzalez
“Being a teacher is one of the most worthwhile professions there is. Working to avoid burn-out is something that everyone is going to face. If your goal is to stay in the profession for three to five years or make a career out of it, don’t make the same mistakes I did. Don’t wait until you are on the brink to start implementing these practices.”
Do top tier graduate programs inadvertently breed an anti-question culture? by Vincent Grimaldi
“…graduate programs can be characterized as a giant game of information asymmetry in which the lack of information about one’s peers, combined with everyone being graded against said peers, creates an environment where asking a question, especially on the first day of classes, imputes more than just a lack of understanding (which is not inherently pernicious), but may signal that you don’t deserve to be studying at this elite graduate program at all.”
5 Reasons for Universal Basic Income by Tarik Ata
“A new economic model is needed to ensure that billions of people are able to sustain themselves and not risk falling into poverty while lifting others out of it, and providing citizens with financial rights; this is where universal basic income (UBI) comes in.”
More Stories from The Faculty
Turning the Gaze Inward: Academia, Knowledge Production and COVID-19 by Yara Jarallah
Six Science Books That Changed My Life. They Could Change Yours Too by Chip Walter
Removing Statues Does Not Abdicate Us From Teaching History by Patrick Riccards
Getting Back on Track after a Stressful Pandemic Season by Fadoua Soussi
Japanese Teens React to a Lesson on America’s Racist History by David Logan Hayter
Teaching while high-risk during Covid-19 by Christina Ragain, Ph.D.
Malta’s Brain Drain by Shane J. Ralston
Milestones to Celebrate
One week has passed, and it’s time we celebrate achievements!
These are small wins that make us proud:
628 followers are now reading and engaging with our stories.
462 000 are the number of minutes our readers have spent in our stories.
202 000 are the number of views our stories have reached.
5 600 new readers visit our publication each day, on average.
120 are the number of followers on our Instagram account and Twitter account.
We believe this is just the start. The start of a great community of academics with amazing stories to tell and actively working to disrupt education. Thanks for reading us and for being part of this story. Let’s continue growing together.
Keep safe,
Your Editor, Maria Angel Ferrero, Ph.D.
