See All Posts

Week in Review: Lettuce Turnip the Beet

Ali Lincoln

It may only be the first full week of June, but my garden is overflowing. I’m so sick of lettuce at this point (and I’m pretty sure everyone else I’ve forced greens on is, too) that I’m happy it’s starting to bolt. My peas are almost done, carrots and beans have started to come in, and my cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes have so many flowers on them that I’ve had to re-stake a few of the plants. And the potatoes have gone wild—they’re growing out of their bed and at this rate, I’ll have a full harvest before we hit July! (And it will mean I can plant another crop for fall when the peas are done). Luckily, there are many delicious ways to prepare potatoes, so we’ve been working our way through the unexpected bumper crop without an issue.

If the only thing you want to work through is the latest in higher ed news, scroll down for more.

What’s new this week:

Congratulations to Mount St. Mary’s University and Timothy Trainor on his permanent appointment as the university’s 26th president. Don’t miss coverage in Inside Higher Ed and The Baltimore Sun.

Cincinnati Business Courier featured more about the coding requirement at Farmer School of Business—and Ohio Gov. John Kasich tweeted about it, praising the school for preparing its students for the workforce.

Deferred maintenance is a big issue on college campuses—and a popular topic for students to discuss on social media—and Wells College shared some of its struggles in this Wall Street Journal article.

In a piece for U.S. News & World Report, Danette Kenne, assistant dean for Drake University’s business school, shared tips for what MBA applicants should know about test waivers.

Professor Sir Keith Burnett, president of the U.K. Science Council and of the University of Sheffield weighed in on immigration’s role in the food supply in the U.S. and abroad in a piece for Boulder’s DailyCamera.

Drake University Professor Geoffrey Wall shared some important tick safety information in this CNN piece on the tragic death of a toddler due to a tick-borne disease.

Professor Shontavia Johnson of Drake University explained why Theresa May can’t just blame the internet for terrorism in a piece for Fortune.

This week on Inside Higher Ed’s Call to Action blog, don’t miss posts on ditching the class note, three mistakes to avoid when measuring ROI, and five ways to minimize scope creep.

What we’ve been talking about:

Ali provided a recap of the higher ed highlights from the EWA 2017 National Seminar.

After reading a New Yorker column of the demise of the personal essay, Kristine considered its effects on placement opportunities and the rise of op-eds.

Don’t miss Teresa’s expertise in this Houston Chronicle article on what higher ed leaders must consider before taking a stand on hot-button issues like climate change.

What’s next on our calendars:

Teresa will be presenting at the New Leadership Academy Mid-Year Retreat at the University of Michigan on June 15-16.

Erin will be facilitating a session on understanding media relations for the American Council on Education’s National Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington, DC, on June 22.

What we’re recommending:

Erin Hennessy
My podcast obsession continues unabated, and I’ve just added two new programs to my playlist. The first, Cosby Unraveled, is exactly what it sounds like—a look, by Philadelphia’s public radio station WHYY, of what happened to the city’s favorite son, who loomed large for me as a child of the 70s and 80s who grew up just across the river from Philadelphia. The series also offers updates from Cosby’s trial, which is currently underway in Pennsylvania. The second podcast I’m excited to dive into is Ear Hustle, a broadcast produced by men serving time at San Quentin State Prison and an artist in the Bay Area. Ear Hustle won Radiotopia’s Podquest contest last year and is created and produced in San Quentin’s media lab. The preview is available now and the first episode will be available June 14.

Cristal Steuer
With college commencement season wrapping up, I loved this round up on USA Today College with these amazing and creative graduation photos (compared to these, mine were so lame). While they are all great, here are my two favorites: The sweetest is the 88-year-old completing his degree from Shorter University International and the most fun is the play on Beyonce’s Lemonade.

Teresa Valerio Parrot
This week, my reading was focused on superhero strength. First, the inner nerd in me was twice over thrilled with a post that combined science AND superheroes. Just in case you plan to wear your Wonder Woman bracelets to defend yourself from gunfire, read this physics primer on what it would take to deflect the bullets as well as the reaction time necessary. Spoiler alert: Wonder Woman exerts a “bullet-blocking power of 76,000 watts,” or 100 horsepower. She really is super!

And, I was in a car for a bit over the weekend and caught coverage of another superhero power. Fresh Air interviewed Senator Al Franken on his new book and discussed a specific “power” with him—pivoting during an interview. It’s worth a listen to hear him discuss how he learned to pivot and why it’s necessary in politics. The REAL super power is being able to pivot AND tell the truth.

Ali Lincoln
Sometimes, you just need a good dose of silly, and my go-to this week has been the third season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. It’s such a ridiculous show, but the Netflix original series offers a reprieve from the very different type of ridiculous things going on in the world. Ellie Kemper is the perfect Kimmy, Jane Krakowski dazzles, and Tituss Burgess is so wonderfully dramatic (and has the best Lemonade homage I’ve seen to date). Plus, fantastic writing AND guest appearances from Jon Hamm and Tina Fey? Fudge yeah!

Kristine Maloney
For podcast fans out there, consider tuning in to Ear Hustle, a new show about prison life, debuting June 14. Recently highlighted by Poynter, the process of creating the podcast is really what caught my attention. Two of the show’s three producers are inmates in California’s San Quentin State Prison, which give it a certain authenticity, but also creates challenges to the usual process. Despite those challenges however, there’s a wealth of stories in the prison that make me particularly curious to tune in.

I was also fascinated this week by an idea to make self-folding pasta that would reduce the carbon footprint of macaroni by decreasing the amount of air in pasta boxes being shipped around the world. Imagine a flat piece of pasta cooking into a folded shape? The science is explained in this WGBH story.

Follow us on Twitter!

Here’s a look at what we were tweeting this week:

For all of the latest news and media successes from TVP Communications, follow us on Twitter.