From IHE, long road to open access: An effort by leading research universities to rethink the economics of scholarly journals has an underwhelming first year, and experts caution against expectations of quick change; and measuring scholarly influence by citations made sense once — Scott McLemee looks at the emerging alternatives. The new National Research Council (NRC) rankings of doctoral programs for 2005-06 is out — while some are excited about the data, many are pummeling the ratings (and more by Brian Leiter). Puff unto others: Felipe Fernandez-Armesto deplores scholarly reviewing's tarnished golden rule. Putting a price on professors: Should public universities care how much their faculty contribute to the bottom line? Honor among scholars: What is its place in academe in relation to wisdom and gain? Martha Nussbaum fears our critical culture is under attack, with democracy itself coming under threat; Matthew Reisz thinks her case is overstated (and more). Advancing the frontiers of knowledge is at the core of the academy, but the crossing of established disciplinary boundaries is often resisted — how does a band of pioneers stake its claim to novel territory, counter sceptics, win converts and establish itself? The Nutty Professor: What has become of the eccentrics in the ranks of our professors? In professor-dominatrix scandal, the University of New Mexico feels the pain (and more). The Ultimate Power Hobby: Bankers, lawyers, executives jockey to teach a university class, play professor. Who is the online you? Zoe Corbyn surveys the world of academics' personal websites. A cartoon criticizing college websites resonates more deeply than many designers might like. Many universities now offer substantial portions of their courses online, a sign of the direction in which the “open education” movement is headed. YouTube U. beats YouSnooze: Most students, sitting in those large halls, are lost or bored, or both — now, with on-demand course content, there's a better way.
