Karen Hitchcock

Karen Hitchcock: Are Our College Graduates Overqualified, Underprepared... Or Both?

Karen Hitchcock — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:50:00 +0000

Around the country, thousands upon thousands of young people are graduating from colleges and universities, eager to enter the next phase of their lives – the world of work. They are looking forward to obtaining employment which will make good use of their particular areas of study; and, in many cases, allow them to begin to pay off the often staggering amounts of debt they have accrued.

Karen Hitchcock: Passages

Karen Hitchcock — Thu, 09 May 2013 19:39:30 +0000

Each year at this time, thousands and thousands of young people across our country are readying themselves for one of life’s major passages: graduation from college. Two-year or four-year, public or private, our nation’s institutions of higher education have, once again, provided a learning experience which has profoundly changed the outlook of and prospects for our nation’s students. These graduates leave their alma maters more confident, more poised and more knowledgeable. They appear ready to undertake new challenges and new opportunities, to advance their education or to join the world of work. Most have the maturity necessary to move forward with clarity of purpose and, hopefully, the self-awareness required for personal growth and advancement. They appear, by and large, to be ready to fulfill their own unique potential.

Karen Hitchcock: The Minerva Project -Ben Nelson’s Vision for Higher Education

Karen Hitchcock — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:36:05 +0000

Ben Nelson, former CEO of Snapfish, an online photo service, is determined to stand higher education – at least part of it - on its head. His goal is a simple one: provide large numbers of intellectually-gifted students with an education which will challenge them and prepare them to be the “thought leaders” of tomorrow. The approach Mr. Nelson has laid out to do this “breaks the rules” in many ways, and has been variously described as daring and innovative by some, and ineffective, reckless and over-reaching by others.

Karen Hitchcock: Guns on Campus - An Issue of Great Urgency

Karen Hitchcock — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:45:00 +0000

Let me start my commentary today with an anecdote: Eighteen year- old, Jane Doe, had just arrived at her residence hall at a university and was eagerly anticipating meeting her roommate and getting to know other first- year classmates.

Karen Hitchcock: The Impact of Sequestration On Our Nation's Research Enterprise

Karen Hitchcock — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:30:00 +0000

As the clock ticks down to yet another financial crisis, experts across the nation are weighing in on the consequences facing a myriad of critical government programs -- from defense to cancer research to student financial aid to public health to homeland security. Come tomorrow, March 1st, short a last minute agreement, some $85 billion in across-the-board cuts from sequestration will take effect, albeit, over a number of months and, in some cases, years. Such cuts represent annual reductions of approximately 5% for non-defense spending and 8% in defense expenditure

Karen Hitchcock: Higher Education at a Crossroads

Karen Hitchcock — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:20:36 +0000

Vartan Gregorian, the highly respected head of the Carnegie Corporation, is championing the convening of a national commission, established by the President, which would, in his words, “work on the challenges facing higher education” and which would include all sectors of postsecondary education - public and private, two-year and four-year - in an inclusive discussion of how our nation’s diverse system of higher education can best serve the needs of a more global and more technology – driven society. Be it in terms of completion rates, or part

Karen Hitchcock - The Next Four Years

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:43:20 +0000

Now that the revelry is dying down, and the harsh reality of ongoing unemployment and the impending “fiscal cliff” re-emerges, President Obama and the Republican leadership need to commit themselves to bridging the partisan divide which has thwarted any major progress over the last four years.

Karen Hitchcock: Scientific Research is Fundamental to our Nation's Economic Competitiveness

Karen Hitchcock — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 19:30:00 +0000

During the final presidential debate this past Monday, President Obama stated that “…if we are not making investments in education and basic research …then we will lose the lead in things like clean energy technology.” Indeed, I think it is fair to say that both parties have passed platforms which reflect a belief in the importance of scientific research.

Karen Hitchcock - Penn State: Lessons Not Learned

Karen Hitchcock — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 19:45:00 +0000

On Tuesday of this week, Jerry Sandusky received a de facto life sentence of 30-60 years for raping, abusing and assaulting some ten young boys. To this day, Mr. Sandusky denies his guilt and places the blame for his conviction on what he feels is the false testimony of his many victims. As The New York Times stated in an editorial following the sentencing, “The case of Jerry Sandusky for the serial raping of young boys while a coach in Penn State’s football program ended Tuesday as it began: in denial and delusion.”

Karen Hitchcock : Election 2012 - The Democratic Education Platform and a Comparison to the GOP

Karen Hitchcock — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:45:00 +0000

In my last commentary I reviewed the major elements of the Republican education platform. Since then, the Democratic Platform has been passed, a platform which addresses a number of policy areas dealing with both K-12 and higher education, and not surprisingly, reflects a number of programs begun during President Obama’s first term in office.