Hans Koppies on LinkedIn: Opinion | The Adults Are Still in Charge at the University of Florida (2024)

Excuses van de koning in Zuid Afrika voor het slavernij verleden. In het omgaan met dat slavernij verleden kan in beide landen de rol van onderwijs niet gemist worden. Deskundigen uit Zuid Afrika en Nederland zijn daarover het gesprek aangegaan. Over dat gesprek en hun bevindingen berichten zij in 'Conversations in Place-Space-Time; Human Rights Education in South Africa and the Netherlands' (Africanstudies Centre Leiden).Op de achterflap schrijft prof. Yusef Waghid:Any analysis of histories and cultures of remembrance, bears testimony to the witnessing of humans who have either lived through the experiences as insiders or who have not lived through the experiences of the past as outsiders. The possibility of bearing witness to (remember) the horrors, trauma, and destitution of the human condition and to consider its implications for human rights education is what this anthology of essays is about. The editors, Anne Becker, Ina ter Avest and Cornelia Roux, portrayed as insiders, cogently accentuate how human rights violations in South Africa and the Netherlands ought to be expiated through teaching and learning to justify and preserve dignity, self-respect, and freedom towards the advancement of affective life and humanity. Hopefully, through education, it is averred that degradation, inhumanity, and irresponsibility will be undermined and eradicated. The possibility that dignity and decency will remain in place and that it ought to be preserved at all costs even beyond the imagination, and rightfully so, seems to be at the centre of the editors' concern for the cultivation of human rights education. In this way, apartheid, colonialism and other pervasive torments of human and non-human life should be distanced from genuine educational encounters.

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Erg goede blog van Larry Cuban (wijze man) over het verschil tussen 'complicated' (een raket naar de maan) en 'complex' (onderwijs - systeem en in de klas. "Knowing also that school reform designs borrowed from supposedly efficient, complicated systems such as businesses and then imposed from the top down into such complex systems as public schools will hardly make a dent in the daily work of teachers whose job is convert policy into lessons. And why is knowing about differences between complicated and complex systems important to teachers, administrators, and parents? Because the classroom in either an elementary or secondary school with one teacher and 25 or more students is indeed a complex system."

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Unfortunately, Dartmouth is another nothingburger of the debate on college athlete unionization. If the SEIU is serious, they would drive a few more hours to the Providence, St. John's and Villanova campuses where: (1) the MBB players receive "compensation" (as that term is defined under NLRB precedent), (2) the MBB players in the conference possess economic power, and (3) the NLRB would have jurisdiction to certify the schools in the conference as a multi-employer bargaining unit (9 of the 11 are private institutions). #nlrb #laborlaw #collegeathletes https://lnkd.in/grCNTfbu

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The Shame of Bristol UniversityThis is a very upsetting story. It concerns the death of an undergraduate student. Natasha Abrahart was in the second year of a physics degree at Bristol University. She sadly took her life in 2018 — worried about an oral presentation in front of all the tutors & students.The adjustments needed to help Natasha were simple.Although it was easy to make this presentation less stressful, Bristol University’s Physics Department did not do so. Bristol University should have accepted the blame straight away and apologised immediately to the grieving parents. Instead, they fought the parents in the law courts. On Wednesday 14th February 2024, Bristol University had comprehensively lost their appeal. In fact, they took a real beating. They lost on every single one of the seven grounds on which they had appealed. They now have to pay the Abraharts costs. (The waste of University money that should have been used for teaching and research is another scandalous aspect of this.)What kind of mean spirited individuals could possibly have thought any of this legal action was at all appropriate ?The behaviour of Bristol University towards the parents after the death of Natasha was conscienceless and inhumane. It was completely wrong to be fighting grieving parents in the court under any circ*mstances. It was petty and vindictive. Those at the top who sanctioned this should lose their jobs. They have fought the Abraharts every step of the way, lost twice at substantial public expense and done enormous reputational harm to Bristol University.Has anyone resigned ? University senior managers never admit blame or take responsibility. If senior management had any integrity, somebody should by now have apologised to the Abraharts for the legal action. Instead, everybody hides behind anonymity. Despite enormous salaries at the top of university management, there is never any accountability. https://lnkd.in/edpXZDzn

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 (𝗪𝗥: Wissenschaftsrat) 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 (𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹) 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝘅 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:1. Bucerius Law School has received re-accreditation for ten years without conditions, including the right to award doctorates. Bucerius Law School is known for its high-quality legal education and excellent research.2. Hertie School, has been re-accredited (doctoral studies) with conditions for an initial five years. This can be extended to ten years, assuming timely fulfillment of these conditions. The university, known for its outstanding research achievements, must improve the modalities for dismissing the presidency and the obligation to publish dissertations.3. Euro-FH Europäische Fernhochschule Hamburg received a re-accreditation with conditions for five years, which can be extended to ten years if the conditions are fulfilled on time. The Euro-FH is established as a distance-learning institution and offers high-quality courses of study. The Scientific Council sees a need for improvement in the composition of the university management.4. Freie Theologische Hochschule Gießen has been re-accredited with conditions for five years. The university is characterized by its focus on research and practical application. The suggestions for improvement relate to equality and professorial teaching coverage.5. Mediadesign University of Applied Sciences, Berlin, has been re-accredited with conditions for three years. While it lives up to its claim as a university of applied sciences in teaching, there is a need for improvement in research performance and professorial teaching coverage.6. , Bonn, has been re-accredited with conditions for five years. The HFM, which fulfills its institutional claim as a university of applied sciences, must make improvements regarding the differentiation from the parent company, the role of the Senate in appointment procedures, and literature provision.Details of the respective recommendations and conditions can be found in the official report of the German Science and Humanities Council. Congratulations to all institutions! 🎉#WR #Accreditation #HigherEducation #EducationInGermany

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Honorary FAU Doctorate for Harvard Professor Kathryn Sikkink The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed in 1948, celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, standing as a testament to the enduring power of ideas. It continues to inspire efforts towards freedom, equality, and dignity for all.FAU is a platform of freedom and stands for innovation, empowering individuals to make a positive impact, challenge conventional thinking, and to change the world. FAU provides a space for interdisciplinary research and the international exchange of ideas, promoting a better future.Kathryn Sikkink, Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, receives an honorary doctorate from FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg in the historic #Wassersaal of Erlangen. This recognition highlights her exceptional contributions to the field of #HumanRights and her dedication to advancing the principles stated in the Universal Declaration.#FAU drives progress, encouraging individuals and organizations to strive for a world where human rights are upheld, and every person has the opportunity to live a life of freedom. FAU is platform of freedom for innovative thinkers - in all dimensions.As a consequence human rights research is one of FAU's focus areas.

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Universities are supposed to be places of debate. Otherwise, we end up getting mediocre leaders like the ones we have currently in power. Debate, protest and healthy dialogue are foundational to a healthy university system. Op-Ed: An Open Letter to President Rosenbury From Edwidge Danticat and Jhumpa LahiriDanticat and Lahiri, award-winning authors and professors at Columbia University, urge President Rosenbury and President Shafik to revoke suspensions and drop disciplinary measures against students, and demand that academic freedom is upheld.https://lnkd.in/gnpBjSAU

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Reposting again for posterity:EDIT: USC decided to have smaller celebrations instead of having a main stage ceremony for thier 2024 graduates 🎓 thanks to the help of its faculty.President Carol Holt's judgment in making the call to cancel the main event has been criticized by many. There are concerns that her response was influenced by past incidents involving anti-Zionist sentiments expressed by a student on social media in 2021, which Holt did not address at the time. This has led some to question if her current actions are an overcorrection aimed at appeasing pro-Zionist voices on campus.While Holt has recently initiated efforts with Jewish groups to foster awareness and support, the Muslim community at USC feels neglected. The majority of the Advisory Committee on Muslim Life has resigned, citing this perceived neglect. The perception among many students is that university administrators employ "divide and conquer" tactics, deflecting blame for ineffective leadership onto tensions between groups like Jewish and Muslim students. This dynamic mirrors broader geopolitical conflicts, leading to incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia that make parts of the campus feel unsafe.The person that felt the most unsafe: Asna Tabassum. The person that deserves the most respect for taking the high road in this situation: Asna Tabassum.A biomedical engineering student from Bangladesh, she overcame significant hurdles to get her degree.She has been mistreated by the USC administration and deserves an apology.Provost Guzman should deliver this apology first.Provost Andrew Guzman, a law professor hailing from the Dominican Republic, has talked at length about his historic position as the first Latine provost of USC. He has always promoted DEI initiatives in his tenure, but this act of silence regarding the commencement cancellation and valedictorian’s ousting is ridiculous. He would do best to remember the words of the late Cesar Chavez—“Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.”If there is any doubt that DEI is dead in academia, see what is happening on the campuses of USC, Columbia, Yale, Harvard, amongst others.Promoting diversity and inclusion is hard work, but necessary. To do the work to create forums and panels with members of all communities (Jewish and Muslim alike) to promote equity on campus is important. Universities must walk a fine line in addressing such tensions, avoiding inaction that allows divides to fester, while also refraining from overcorrections that validate or escalate conflicts between student groups. Adequate funding for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, combined with open dialogue and addressing all students' needs, is crucial for fostering a cohesive university community.Congratulations to the class of 2024!#universityofsoutherncalifornia #commencement #classof2024

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Here's my latest on how Orwellian many of our great universities have become. It's time to restore integrity to higher education.https://lnkd.in/eSN4536i

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