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Academia

Higher Ed: Self Promotion In Academia

A provocative column this year in The Chronicle of Higher Education laments the rise of what the author calls the “promotional intellectual.” Dr. Jeffrey J. Williams of Carnegie Mellon University believes the old adage in academia of “publish or perish” has evolved into “promote or perish.” In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss promoting one’s academic work.

Ed is quick to distinguish between what he acknowledges is probably uncomfortable for many academics – self promotion – and the enthusiastic sharing of an academic subject or idea.

“It should be about: I am passionate about this particular suite of ideas or this set of human knowledge and I believe there is power and there is import to have other people embrace it, too ,” says Ed. “And if it happens to not be in fashion today, then I’ve got to go out and I’ve got to promote the thing that I’m passionate about.”

But Ed believes “it’s one thing to say, in my case, I love Math and I want everyone to appreciate Math, even if you don’t love it versus I want everyone to love Ed Burger.” He says he’s “less interested in that, which I don’t think serves the kind of greater good, as much as saying look, here’s a suite of ideas I’ve spent a lifetime learning. Let me share the joy of it with you and the power of it with you versus hey, here I am. Let me tell you how awesome I am.”

Listen to the entire episode for a further discussion about promotion in academia and to hear a new puzzler. Ready to escape from a fire-breathing dragon?

This episode was recorded on Sept. 28, 2018.

Best Of “Higher Ed:” Academia And Industry In Harmony?

The episode was originally posted on May 20, 2018.

Business and industry sometimes say they find students are not prepared for work – or the working world in general – when they graduate from college. Liberal arts institutions, meanwhile, say they are preparing flexible and well-rounded students who are ready to tackle anything. How can this disconnect be bridged? Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton explore the relationship between academia and industry in this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed.”

One might assume that academia and the business world have different goals and missions and would have trouble reaching consensus on what constitutes adequate preparation. But Ed actually calls that tension “superfluous” and believes academia and industry can achieve synergy if they set aside biases about each other and keep an open dialogue.

It is also time for the solution to a puzzler about how many golf balls it would take to fill a school bus. There is actually a relatively quick and easy way to figure that out.

This episode was recorded on April 20, 2018.

Higher Ed: Academia And Industry In Harmony?

Business and industry sometimes say they find students are not prepared for work – or the working world in general – when they graduate from college. Liberal arts institutions say they are preparing flexible and well-rounded students who are ready to tackle anything. How can this disconnect be bridged? Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and I explore the relationship between academia and industry in this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed.”

One might assume that academia and the business world have different goals and missions and would have trouble reaching consensus on what constitutes adequate preparation. But Ed actually calls that tension “superfluous” and believes academia and industry can achieve synergy if they set aside biases about each other and keep an open dialogue.

Listen on for our discussion about fostering healthy relationships between academia and industry. It is also time for the solution to last week’s puzzler. Are you still counting how many golf balls it would take to fill a school bus? There is actually a relatively quick and easy way to figure that out.

This episode was recorded on April 20, 2018.

Texas Standard: July 13, 2017

With the senate’s latest bid to repeal and replace Obamacare, but what about Cost? Today 4 big ideas to fix health care. We’ll have the prescription. Plus, the best kind of policy, many believe, is policy driven by academic studies. But a new investigative report shows a secret program at Google:
paying big money to scholars for research that would help the company get favorable regulations, we’ll explore. Also 5 years after A&M left the Big 12, what’s the score for college football in Texas. Plus the smokier the barbecue the better, huh? Texas Monthly’s barbecue editor says don’t be so sure. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

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