[If you are looking for my piece refuting Peter Singer’s either/or philosophy of philanthopy, click here]

“The academy,” “higher education,” “the university,” is stereotypically characterized as an “ivory tower” in which faculty in obscure subdisciplines of the sciences, arts, and humanitites develop highly speciliazed treatises to be read only by the denizens of other ivory towers on other campuses. In my 25 years in higher ed, I have felt this characterization to be both unfair and inaccurate – in other words, just plain wrong. Faculty, in general, are an engaged and thoughtful group.  Now there is a venue for faculty voices in higher ed to share their interests with a broader audience but with more curatorial intent than the whole of the blogosphere provides.  I was delighted to accept an invitation from Symposium Magazine (“Where academia meets public life”) to write an article on teaching and learning in the digital age for its second issue. I look forward to reading new content each month and being part of the civil discourse that is the foundation of a healthy democracy.