Dear Commons Community,

According to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, academic leaders at San Jose State University voted yesterday overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution asking the chancellor of the California State University system to review governance at the university because of unease over the introduction of massive open online courses.

“The resolution cited “a series of conflicts over the past year” that have highlighted “communication and transparency” issues and “opened serious rifts in our shared sense of community.”

The Academic Senate passed the resolution by a vote of 38 to 2, with five abstentions, but delayed until its December meeting a vote on another measure related to the president’s push to adopt MOOCs.

“In my 24 years at SJSU—most of that time on the Senate—I have never heard such widespread and deep concern about the direction our campus has been taking,” said Kenneth B. Peter, a professor of political science, in a prepared statement provided to The Chronicle.”

More to come at the Academic Senate’s December meeting.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey ripped the national Republican Party for bad decision-making, a loss of courage, and appealing only to an aging white population.   Speaking at the Wall Street Journal’s Annual CEO Council, Christie said :

“…that the GOP’s woes stem from “bad decision-making and a loss of courage.”

“…everyone down here in D.C. has failed” to lead the nation. What’s wrong with Washington, Christie said, “primarily is the people.”

“What we have in Washington now are absolutists,” said the governor, in a speech rife with the kind of zingers that helped him win reelection this month by a wide margin in Democratic-leaning New Jersey. The recent government shutdown, Christie said, “was a train wreck everybody saw coming for months.”

Christie avoided naming names, including lightning-rod conservatives like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who, like Christie, who may harbor presidential ambitions in 2016. But he attacked the Republican Party’s reliance on grassroots voters in recent elections instead of creating a “big-tent” campaign capable of appealing to growing numbers of independent and Hispanic voters.

…According to Christie, the current GOP political logic goes something like, “the better you do, the more voters you attract, the more diverse voters you attract, the worse you do?” The governor shook his head, clearly frustrated that the party hasn’t worked harder to reach out to more voters. “Our country is changing, demographically and economically. Candidates have to understand who they’re asking to lead,” he said.

Campaigns that rely solely on appealing to a shrinking base of aging, white Republican voters “aren’t working,” he said, especially on the national stage.”

Christie is on-target but I don’t think there are enough courageous Republicans who will heed his advice in the near future.  Too many  have been cowered by Tea Party maniacs.

Tony