Recent Articles
MSU’s liberal, practical education admirable
0On Feb. 12, 1855, Gov. Kingsley Bingham signed a bill, creating the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, which eventually became MSU. On July 2, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, which supported land-grant colleges and universities.
The end of the academic year
I often have been amused and mildly disturbed by the way The State News and MSU students close an academic year. On April 29, 2011, for instance, “A Year in Review” in The State News focused on the exhilarating football championship, disappointing basketball season and no classes due to snow.
History of social change relevant
On Feb. 16, Diane Nash, one of the “true pioneers in the civil rights movement,” appeared in East Lansing.
Grief not limited to five stages
When a beloved student or friend dies, when a well-respected coach or university — such as Penn State University — loses its way, when terrorists reveal how vulnerable we Americans are, we grieve. The losses might be phases of development, self-images, relationships, separations, beliefs, emotional states, or cultural myths.
Academics deserve more attention
For nearly 50 years, I have taught freshman writing in the U. S. and overseas. My model for teaching and academic life came from a small liberal arts college — Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. For 38 years, however, the environment in which I have taught has been MSU — a large university where, too often, research and athletics reign.
